Loving Him
by Jacqlor
Summary: Set during S9x5 where Jo was told to stay out of Mac's personal life. My take on what could have happened. JAC.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first ever fanfic and as of now I still do not have any concrete idea of how this story will go. Please R&R. I'd appreciate it very much. Thank you.**

"...be careful where you stick your nose. stay out of my personal business.."

She kept on thinking about that conver-.._confrontation_. She had never heard him use that kind of tone on her. And it is what hurts the most. She can handle the words that he said, but his tone... it breaks her heart.

She knows there is something wrong with him, just doesn't know what it is specifically. She wants to help him overcome it. If not, at least she could lend him her ears, or her shoulder, or her arms.. but now she is sure that he doesn't need any of those. He basically just pushed her away.

-Crime Lab-

"J.D.! I got a match from the number used to send the text to blackmail Mr. Danton. It belonged to.. uhh.. J.D.? hehe... yoohoo.. Jo?"

"Sorry Adam.. you were saying?"

"I said I found a match from the mobile number and it traced back to his half-brother Johnny. Where were you?"

"What do you mean? I'm here, talking to you."

"Oh come on Jo.. what's wrong? You look like a wandering zombie. Even Hawkes and Danny had noticed it. "

"Oh.. no, nothing's wrong. I am just.. uhh.. thinking about something.. uhh.. Ellie has told me this morning. So, you said you found a match, right? "

"Yup, everything's here. Danny dug more info about little Johnny and it's all here." Adam said, handing the tablet to Jo.

"Okay, can you please give it to Mac? I need to go back to my office, I just thought of something.. about the case. Thanks." Jo turned around from Adam and briskly walked back to her office, while Adam walked towards Mac's office, scratching his head unsure of what has just happened.

"Lindsay, where are you going?" asked Jo when Lindsay stood up from her table and was about to walk out from their office.

"I'm going to send this to Mac. Would you like me to get something for you on my way back?"

"Actually, can you please hand this to him also, while you're there? Saves me the trip up and down the hall." Jo smiled as she handed Lindsay two file folders.

"Sure" said Lindsay as she leaves.

"Hey Mac here is my report. And these, are Jo's. She asked me to give these to you." Lindsay said to her boss, while trying to detect a hint that will tell her what was going on between the two senior detectives.

Mac stared at Jo's folders before finally reaching up to accept them with a subtle sigh. "Thanks Lindsay, you may go home now. It's getting late." Then he started reading the files, brows furrowed, uneasiness settling on him.

_Damn it. Jo has been avoiding me all day._ Mac thought while opening the folders. Whether he should be relieved or dismayed, he hasn't decided yet.

Lindsay left his office, growing more and more suspicious and went to find his husband. She found him by the vending machine, talking with Sheldon, Adam, and Don. "Hey babe. Ready to go?" asked Danny when he saw a frowning Lindsay heading towards them.

"Have you noticed Mac and Jo? I can sense something wrong going on between the two of them but can't figure out what." Lindsay said as she stopped by her husband's side.

"Well.. Jo's been weird today. I have not seen her smile the whole day. Well, aside from the tiny smile she flashed me this afternoon. But she is awfully quiet today." said Sheldon, looking around to make sure Jo is not within earshot.

"I don't know if this will make sense.. but I find it odd when this morning, while I was talking to Jo about Johnny's phone she just stood there, totally zoned out, without hearing a word I said. Then, after finally getting her attention, she just asked me to send the result to Mac, myself." Adam said unsure if what he said is related to Lindsay's concern.

"Just now, Jo asked me to give Mac her report. She never asked me to do that. She always goes to his office herself." said Lindsay, scrunching her brows together.

"Whoa.. so you guys mean that Jo is avoiding Mac? Why" Don asked, quite not believing what he is hearing.

"Hey guys, heading home yet?" Jo's voice pierced through their thoughts, unsettling all of them.

Danny was the one who answered first. "We're about to go for a drink Jo. Would you like to come?"

Jo hesitated a moment before shaking her head. "No, I can't tonight. Too tired. You guys enjoy yourselves. Night." She told them before heading to the elevator, summoning all of her willpower to not even glance at the figure across the hallway, not wanting to risk to be caught looking at him by Mac himself.

Relief washed over her when she finally heard the elevator's ding, announcing its arrival to whisk her down to the safety of her car.

Mac was looking at her from where he's sitting, silently willing her to look his way. But was at the same time very worried to be caught looking at her by Jo. When she disappeared to the elevator, he realized he is holding his breath and slowly released it. _Damn it Mac. You really messed it up this time._ he silently cursed himself.

He tried to focus on the case file in his hands but thoughts of Jo's face while he tells her to back off flooded his mind. The hurt in her eyes; that's what has been bugging his conscience since last night. He did not mean to tell her off and most of all, he did not mean to hurt her but the fear of anybody finding out his problem made him defensive. He knew that Jo is a smart woman and very determined. It will only be a matter of time before she could figure out on her own what his problem is.

Mac went to bed that night with guilt gnawing at his gut. He knew what he did was wrong. But he has no idea how to initiate a conversation with Jo especially when she is doing everything in her power to avoid him. He spent most of the night tossing and turning, thinking and debating himself on how to make things right with Jo.


	2. Chapter 2

_from Chapter 1_

_Mac went to bed that night with guilt gnawing at his gut. He knew what he did was wrong. But he has no idea how to initiate a conversation with Jo especially when she is doing everything in her power to avoid him. He spent most of the night tossing and turning, thinking and debating himself on how to make things right with Jo._

**Chapter 2**

-Crime Scene-

Don turned around just in time to see Mac step out of his Avalanche. He ducked from the tape to walk over to his boss and started to brief him of the scenario. "Vic's name is Melissa Cario. She paints during the day and sells her work to souvenir shops around town and moonlights as a waitress in the evening. She was dragged from her studio down to the living room where she was stabbed to death."

Just as they were about to enter the loft, Jo, and Lindsay came in and all four of them went inside. Upon entering, Jo immediately asked Don to go up the loft with her and told Lindsay to stay in the living room to process the body, just as Mac opened his mouth. Don, sensing the tension, went after Jo without so much as uttering a word. Mac knew what Jo was doing and decided to let it go for now as he started processing the scene with Lindsay.

Don has already left the scene by the time the three CSIs finished. Jo immediately sat at the passenger side of Lindsay's car and pretended to be busy with her phone, when Lindsay finally got in with her. While on the road, Jo has been listening to Lindsay talk about Lucy when suddenly Lindsay looked up to her and asked her if she has anything she wanted to talk about.

"Me? Nothing. I just want to listen to your stories about Lucy. She sounds like growing up fast." Jo said, realizing that her coworker and friend have already caught up with her actions. She decided to be subtler with her actions so as to prevent any further scrutiny.

"Jo, in case you forgot, I am a detective too, just like you. And I am being paid to observe. And I have been observing that you have become exceptionally quiet since yesterday. You seem to be distant and sometimes your mind wanders to a faraway place I'm surprised it can still come back on its own."

"It's nothing, silly. I'm just.. well.. doing a lot of thinking.. that's all." Jo forced a smile.

"Jo, don't patronize me. If you have a problem, you can talk to me. I will listen."

"You are so sweet Lindsay. But, it really is nothing. I am just thinking about what umm.. Ellie said to me the other night."

"Ellie, huh?" Lindsay said glancing sideways at Jo.

"Yeah, Ellie. You do remember Ellie don't you? You know, Ellie, my daughter? Jo laughed. But her laugh sounded hollow, even to herself.

-Crime Lab-

_What is HE doing here?! _Mac thought as he walked towards his office but was surprised to see Agent Russ Josephson standing not too far away from the elevator.

"Agent Josephson, hi! What brings you here?" Mac said as he extends his hand to Russ.

"Detective Taylor, how are you? I am just waiting for Jo." answered Russ then shook Mac's hand.

"Is there any problem? Maybe I can help?" Mac tried again, desperately wanting to know what Jo's ex-husband is doing here, waiting for her.

"Oh no, there is no problem. I just wanted to see her, visit her. It has been a long time since we last saw each other." said Russ, praying to high heavens that Jo will treat him better this time. The last time he was here, she kept on dodging his teasing.

After the divorce, Russ has been doing a lot of thinking of his own. He knew that letting Jo go was the greatest mistake he has ever done in his whole life. He knew his mistakes during their marriage and he would like her to give him another chance to prove to her that he has now changed and understood what she wanted from him before. He was now willing to give it to her if only to be with her again. But he also knew how determined his ex-wife is. He knew that once she has already made up her mind, not even a canon could make her change her mind.

Just then, as though Heaven heard his plea, Jo walked out from the elevator but abruptly stopped when she saw Russ standing there.

"Ex-husband, what brings you here?" Jo asked, raising her eyebrows. She did not even risk a glance at Mac. She just stared at Russ, waiting for him to say something so she can go on to the safety of her office.

"Hi Jo. You came from a crime scene?" Russ asked her, while closing in as he gave her a quick hug.

"Yes, I came from a crime scene. And there are many things to do. Again, what brings you here?" Jo asked as Lindsay reached for her kit to bring it with her further down the crime lab. Meanwhile, Mac walked a few steps back pretending to read his phone, staying out of their conversation circle, but near enough to hear them.

"Nothing much," Russ said, smiling at Jo. _She's still as beautiful _he thought to himself. "I just want to.. uhh… talk to you about Tyler."

Jo frowned upon hearing her son's name. "Why, what happened to Tyler?" dozens of images flashed through her mind, not a single one, is calming.

"No, nothing has happened. Don't worry. I just wanted to talk to you about him." Russ answered, admiring again how Jo can be a detective at one second then immediately switch to being a mother at the sound of her child's name.

"Okay, let's talk in my office" Jo said while walking past Russ, still not acknowledging Mac's presence. She did not mean any disrespect, but she just doesn't have any idea on how to act around him, now.

-Jo's Office-

"So, what about Tyler?" Jo asked Russ as soon as she reached her office door. She sat down on her chair, turned on her computer then proceeded to clear a little space on her desk for her notepad. She turned her head to Russ when she heard him chuckle.

"What's there to laugh at?" She questioned him, one of her eyebrows raised.

"Your desk. New location, new job, new office, new desk, but same old habit, same colorful post-it notes all over" said Russ, smiling widely at her. "so cute" he added.

"Yeah, I think you did not understand what I said earlier. I'm going to repeat it, okay? I came from a crime scene and I have too many things to do. Now, what is this thing about Tyler that you wanted to talk to me about?" Jo said before she turned around to her computer monitor just in time to catch the pen that is about to roll off her table.

"I want to know how Tyler's mother is doing first" Russ said as he reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Mac was walking down the hall to look for Adam when he saw Russ reached out to tuck Jo's hair behind her ear. He paused mid-step but has quickly recovered. He did not understand why he felt so nervous, almost feeling like he is sneaking up on them when the reason why he is even in this part of the lab is because he is looking for Adam to ask him for an update. _Right, Mac. A very good excuse _he scowled at his own thoughts before heading back to his office when he did not see Adam.

"I am doing good. Now.. Tyler!" Jo said, rolling her eyes.

"Are you not even going to ask me, how am I doing? Especially now that I am alone?" Russ stressed the word 'alone', before holding her forearm.

Jo turned in her seat, snatched her forearm away from his hand before glaring at her ex-husband. "If you are not going to start talking about what it is that you wanted to talk to me about, I will ask security to drag you out of here and accuse you of harassment."

"Okay, okay.. relax. Well.. do you still remember Agent Stevens, and his son Robert?" Russ continued when he saw Jo nod "well, Robert was in his junior year in college and Stevens was just about excited that in another year, Robert will be graduating and then Stevens can finally save up more for the retirement home he's planning to surprise Annie with. Only, Robert came home last week to tell Stevens that he won't be able to finish college because he got his girlfriend pregnant. And now, the girl's family was forcing him to marry her. You know, all those honor and pride thing. Apparently, the father of the girl is a professor in their university so he wanted to "save" their family's honor, thus the forced marriage."

When he heard no response from Jo, he continued "I am just worried that it will also happen to Tyler. I was informed only last month that his current roommate is a girl. I mean.. He said you've run a search on her and you cleared her.. but.. you know… I'm just worried… I don't want him to get married because of pressure coming from other people. I want him to get married, I just hope that he will graduate first, but I want him to get married because it is what he wants to do. Not because he's got no other choice. I want him to make that choice. Do you understand my concern here?"

"Yep! I totally understand your concern. But, come to think of it, don't you think that it will be a whole lot easier when YOU talk to him about this yourself?"

"What?! Aren't you worried about the same thing?" Russ asked Jo, aghast.

"I did not say that. What I am trying to say is that maybe it will be better if you talk to him about this matter because I have been having many kinds of talks with him and the kid ends up embarrassed. So maybe it will be better for all of us if you are going to do it, this time around." Jo stared at Russ until he finally nodded his agreement, punctuated with a sigh. But just when she thought it is over,

"Wanna grab lunch with me?" Russ asked her.

"Are you kidding me? What do you think?!" Jo retorted, once again glaring at her ex-husband, only to see him smiling at her, puppy dog eyes and all.

"I am just taking a chance. Maybe you would finally see the truth that there is no harm in having lunch with me, or dinner, or whatever it is that you would prefer."

"Really now? You know what Russ, just.. go back to the Bureau. You would be much more appreciated there" Jo said, shaking her head as she swivel back to face her computer screen.

"Are you sure I cannot tempt you with burger or seduce you with sloppy joe?" Russ teased and winked at her when she turned her head around to look at him.

"Russ, please, just because you know my weakness for big, juicy burgers and other junk food, doesn't mean you can already drag me with you. I don't think I'll even have the time to eat properly today since as I've said already, I have too many things to do. Now, please, if you'll just leave. I would be VERY much grateful." Jo rolled her eyes once again at him before returning back to work.

She heard Russ let out a sigh before squeezing her shoulder "okay, I'll leave you in peace then.. but if you happen to change your mind, you still have my number I suppose?!"

"Russ!" Jo hissed at him.

Russ chuckled one last time before turning around, leaving her alone in her office.

Mac saw Russ enter the elevator and thought that this is the time to talk to Jo. He brought with him some case files for props before leaving his office to head towards hers.

"Jo?" Mac called her as he stands on her doorway.

"Mac, I found traces of fibers and some shoe prints upstairs and Lindsay and Hawkes were already processing it. Meanwhile, I saw a slip of paper on the bed with what I think is an address. I searched on the internet and found out that it is a small shop that sells old books, and.. paintings. It is just three blocks away from our vic's place. I'm going down there later to check with the owner if he knew Melissa Cario and maybe we will be able to know something about Melissa from him" Jo babbled on, refusing to stop until it is necessary just to keep Mac from speaking anything non-work related to her.

Mac knew what she was doing but he refused to be defeated. "That will be good. Umm.."Mac hesitated. "Jo, the other night… I was a bit short with you.." Mac looked at her, his eyes sad and it saddens her also, but "you made your point. Already forgotten." She managed to blurt out. She then smiled at him. Although this time, Mac noticed, her smile never reached her eyes, as how her smiles have been reduced to since that night.

Jo stood up, took her notes with her "I'll go check on Lindsay if she already has the result of the fibers and shoe prints before I leave for the painting shop." She told him before slipping her way through the door.

Mac let out a breath before following her to the lab where Lindsay was.

"Jo, Mac, the fiber that Jo found upstairs is cotton; the one that is mostly used in handkerchiefs. It is a match to the hanky I saw beside the vic's body. I am thinking maybe the killer tried to muffle her screams with the hanky. Sheldon is now checking the it for prints. We are still waiting for a match for the shoe prints, although I wouldn't bet on it since the prints are smudged so identifying based on sole pattern may not prove fruitful." Lindsay looked at Jo and Mac then back again when she finished her mini-monologue.

"Okay. I'll go check out the address on the slip of paper that I found on the bed which is a small painting shop's address. Maybe someone there can help us. Call me if you find something." Jo said as she turned to leave.

"Give me an update when Hawkes is done" Mac told Lindsay before heading out to the hallway.

Mac and Jo were walking in the hall, Mac heading for his office while Jo for the elevator when they saw Russ walking towards them.

"Russ, what is it now?" Jo asked, irritation in her voice.

Russ held a brown bag to her and grinned at her. "Burger. For you. You told me you might not have proper lunch today so I bought you lunch. You can bring it anywhere with you. So you don't have to skip lunch."

"Russ.. I told you, I can handle myself" Jo said, a little softly now.

"I know, I just wanted to help, considering I wasted your time in there, earlier."

Jo sighed. "No. You did not waste my time. If it's about my kids, my time is never wasted." She reached for the brown bag. "curse you for dangling this in front of me, knowing my weakness and my appetite."

Russ chuckled at her words.

Jo turned to look at Mac "I'll go to the shop now, Mac."

He has only barely nodded his acknowledgement when she has already on her phone asking Danny to meet her in front of the shop.

Mac watched as the two of them walked towards the elevator. _Damn it _he cursed inwardly as he walked toward his office. Remembering Christine, _I wish Christine would soften up on me too when I give her a big, juicy burger like Jo. Oh man, did I just compare Christine to Jo?_ Mac shook his head at himself.

Mac pulled out his phone when he reached his office. He speed dialed Christine's number but to his dismay, his call was routed again into voicemail.

"Christine, it's me again. Please call me when you got this. Please. Maybe we can talk later? Perhaps over.. uhh.. burger?" _What the hell, Mac?_ "Uhh.. yeah, call me please."

_Really Mac? Burger?_


	3. Chapter 3

**If you guys would just indulge me, I HIGHLY recommend listening to the song What About Love by Lemar, while reading the part **_**–Jo's Apartment-**_**. I just think it is perfect for that scene, but did not want to incorporate it in the story. Thank you so much.**

_From Chapter 2_

_Mac pulled out his phone when he reached his office. He speed dialed Christine's number but to his dismay, his call was routed again into voicemail._

"_Christine, it's me again. Please call me when you got this. Please. Maybe we can talk later? Perhaps over.. uhh.. burger?" What the hell, Mac? "Uhh.. yeah, call me please."_

_Really Mac? Burger?_

**Chapter 3**

-Crime Lab-

It has been three hours since the last of Mac's team left the crime lab. Mr. Danton's case was solved when his half brother Johnny, a banker, confessed that he was the one blackmailing him. Although both men are successful in their own fields, Johnny felt Mr. Danton did not deserve any of it. Their father left the whole enterprise to Mr. Danton when Johnny refused to be a member of the board. He declined to join the family business because he wanted to live a carefree life, one which does not require him to follow a strict schedule. During the last two months of their father's battle with leukemia, he would ask Johnny to call and ask his brother to come and see their father before he dies but every time, Mr. Danton will tell him that he was too busy to visit. Their father died with an unfulfilled wish of seeing his eldest one last time. Johnny cannot erase the image of their father's sorrow, his tears, when every time he would ask them about his eldest, they would give him some lame excuses. With his father's grief-stricken image etched in his mind, he vowed to himself that he will do everything in his power to pull down his brother from the pedestal where he was perched so high, _too _high. He wanted to strip him of all the things, that if it were not for their father, he would never have.

Mac rubbed his face with his hands while staring at Melissa Cario's case file. He has been staring at it for an hour now but nothing was registering in his mind. He finally stood up and walked away from his desk to go home and try to rest his mind. He looked at his mobile phone while heading down to the garage but sighed when he saw that Christine did not even send him a message. He sighed again before opening his car's door, feeling more tired, and emptier than usual. _Too many things are going wrong all at once_ he thought.

-Jo's Apartment-

Jo shook her head again when her mind wandered yet again to what she did earlier in the crime lab. She saw Don and Adam, the last to leave the crime lab, heading to Mac's office to say their goodbyes. She quickly turned off her computer and office lights before she hastily grabbed her bag then closed her office door, and jogged to catch up with Don and Adam. They were about to enter Mac's office when she called on them and asked if they were about to go home. When they nodded their response, she immediately told them that she was too. Both men bid goodbye to Mac and she said bye to him too, then gave him a little smile and wave before rushing to the elevator. While waiting for the elevator, she kept on blabbering to Don and Adam about how she was so hungry and tired, while both men looked at her, unsure of how to respond.

Jo thought that by doing so, she could say goodbye to Mac (to avoid any more suspicion) while also avoiding any other unnecessary talks. All she had to do is to wait for a group who are about to go home then she would rush out of her office, just in time to join them as all of them step inside Mac's office to say their goodbyes to him, collectively.

Until now, she still couldn't believe that their relationship has been reduced to this kind. Before, she thought she only has a crush on him, and maybe at some point she thought it might be mutual. But then Mac started seeing Christine, and she would tease him about it. But after almost losing him, she now knew that she loved Mac; that she is in love with him. She had always thought that even if they will never be romantically involved with each other, they could at the very least, keep the friendship that they had established. But look at them now. She couldn't even force herself to talk to him about anything that is not work related. By now, she has already accepted that Mac clearly do not see her as how she sees him. The most painful part though is that he almost told her to stop being his friend. What more can she be when it comes to him, if he wants her to stay out of his personal business, right? _Just his second in command, fool._ Jo admonished herself.

"Was it Agent Cade?" a soft voice asked her.

Jo looked up to see Ellie gazing at her with such an intense expression. "What do you mean Agent Cade?" she asked her daughter. She hadn't realize that her daughter has been standing in front of her for a few minutes now before she dared ask her mom about whatever it is that has been bothering her.

"The person you're thinking about.. was it Agent Cade?" Ellie elaborated, as she sat down beside her mother.

Jo smiled at her, shook her head, and then stared ahead.

"I didn't think so too... So, it's Mac then" said Ellie, casually looking away.

"Mac? No. Why would you think that?" asked Jo, surprised.

"Mom, I take after you, you know... there's no hiding from me" said Ellie with twinkle in her eyes. "I may not know how you and Russ were before. But I think I can safely say that you love Mac, can't I?" Ellie looked at Jo earnestly.

Jo did not know what to say to her daughter. If Ellie can see as much, how much more Mac, or the whole team? Did he notice too? Did anybody else? Jo was speechless for a while. Her mind couldn't keep up with what she has just realized. Did she dare admit to her daughter her true feelings towards Mac?

"Mom, there's nothing wrong with that." Ellie said to Jo in a low voice, as though reading her mind. "I saw how you were almost hysterical that day when Mac was shot and was fighting very hard for his life."

Ellie continued when Jo did not respond. "Whenever you would talk about him, your eyes would always twinkle like little stars. You would blush at times while telling me about how you teased him in the office. And you would lovingly shake your head while remembering something you would rather not say out loud. Then, after all the stories, you would wear that adorable, silly smile on your face the whole night through. I mean, if that does not mean love, I don't know what does." Ellie finished, still looking at her mom, willing her to say something.

Finally, as if she's just snapped out from a trance, "where did all of that came from, Ellie?" asked Jo, not quite believing what she has just heard from her teenage daughter.

"Oh Momma, I'm not a child anymore. And I am not living in a cave; I have access to TV shows, movies, and… novels. So I know what I am talking about Mom." Ellie smiled at her mother.

Jo hugged her daughter then kissed her forehead. "Mom, you still haven't answered my question" Ellie reminded her mother.

"Ellie… "Jo whispered, trying to stop the conversation.

"Mom… you know I won't stop bugging you about this." Ellie said, sitting up and facing her mother, looking her straight in the eyes. "You love him, don't you? Not as a friend, but more than that. You're in love with him?" Ellie said softly, almost a whisper, as she reached out to touch her mother's hand.

Jo hugged her daughter again, tightly this time, placing her chin on top of Ellie's head. Then she shut her eyes, and nodded her affirmation.

Ellie, upon feeling her mother's nod, held Jo tighter than ever. She felt the sorrow Jo was feeling. It's as if Jo's and her heart became one, making her feel exactly how Jo feels. "Momma.." Ellie whimpered. She hated to see her mother like this. She had never saw Jo like this. She was not yet around when Jo and Russ got divorced, thus she never saw the ugly side of separation. But this is another thing. This is just the beginning of love but was already nipped at the bud.

Ellie tried so hard to come up with anything that she can say to ease her mother's pain, but came up with nothing. She did not tell her that 'it's going to be okay' because she knew that it would take a long time before her mother will eventually be okay. So she just said the next best thing to say at moments like this, "I love you so much mom".

"I love you too baby" Jo said, and then she kissed the top of her head before releasing her. She wiped a single tear with her finger and forced out a smile.

Life goes on for Jo Danville.


	4. Chapter 4

_From Chapter 3_

_Ellie tried so hard to come up with anything that she can say to ease her mother's pain, but came up with nothing. She did not tell her that 'it's going to be okay' because she knew that it would take a long time before her mother will eventually be okay. So she just said the next best thing to say at moments like this, "I love you so much mom"._

"_I love you too baby" Jo said, and then she kissed the top of her head before releasing her. She wiped a single tear with her finger and forced out a smile._

_Life goes on for Jo Danville._

**Chapter 4**

Jo woke up the next day feeling a little bit relaxed ever since 'that night'. Her still-weary mind drifted to the conversation she had with Ellie the night before and she felt a little bit resolved. Before she went to sleep and after Ellie left her to go to bed, she had decided to stop being so childish and just be professional. That was what she was told to do anyway - to _just _be professional. She went to the crime lab determined to act maturely –she will not avoid Mac anymore and will just continue to function as his second in command. She thought they would just be civil to each other.

-Crime Lab-

Mac saw Jo waltzed her way from the elevator to her office with sudden lightness in her movement, as compared to how she was these past few days. He could still see a trace of gloom, and the lackluster of her eyes; and he hated to think that he was the reason behind those. Truth be told, he would give anything just to bring back the 'old Jo', the one he was accustomed to. The 'Jo with the golden touch' as he would like to describe her. He missed the Jo that cheers everybody up, the Jo that lightens the mood when everybody's feeling the burden that goes with their job, the Jo that everybody turns to for comfort, the Jo that always has a smile for everybody and anybody. He missed… Jo. _And whose fault is that again? Oh right, yours! _nagged his conscience.

Mac let out a big sigh. He wanted to make things right but did not have any idea how. He just hoped that things would go back to how they were, soon.

A moment later, Jo knocked on Mac's open office door, files in hand. This is the first time that she went to him alone since 'that night'.

"Melissa Cario's case might not be as simple as we hoped Mac. Flack and I went to every souvenir shops around town that sold her works. As opposed to the norm of showing her works on display for potential customers to see, Melissa's paintings seldom find their way to the front of the shops for everybody to see. In fact, if you want to purchase any of her works, you would have to have an Order Slip before getting your hands on them. And, they were sold with frames already included, and you cannot opt out." Jo stated, straight to the point.

"And why is that?" Mac asked her, his curiosity piqued.

"As it turned out, Melissa's paintings were not just paint on canvass. The reason why you have to purchase the painting including the frame that comes with it is because there is a little extra when you take the canvass out of its frame." Jo handed Mac the tablet for him to see before continuing "heroine. She is using the paintings to sell drugs."

"And the shopkeepers did not have any idea that there were drugs in these paintings of hers?" Mac asked, doubt clouding his face.

"We are still verifying some statements but so far, there is a high possibility that they really did not have any idea about the drugs. Each and every one of them said that her 'agent' told them that Melissa had set up an online shop for her paintings but instead of meet ups or delivery, she preferred for her clients to get their purchases from several pick-up points, the souvenir shops being the pick-up points. In return, they were given five percent off the painting price."

"And how did they give the payments to Melissa?" Mac furrowed his brows, still suspicious of the shop owners' knowledge of the drugs hidden in Melissa's paintings.

"Apparently, the paintings could sometimes be sitting in their shops for a few days before someone actually comes to pick it up. After which, the 'agent' would come to collect the payment without them informing him. He seemed to know when the customers would drop by." Jo felt like a school kid reciting.

"What do we know about the 'agent'?"

"They call him Bruno. No last name. None of them knew how to contact him either. We already have a sketch of Bruno and Flack's already had it circulated in the entire city." Jo answered feeling the 'recitation' finally coming to an end.

"Okay, let me know if there is some progress." Mac simply said.

"Sure thing." Jo answered before leaving Mac's office. _Way to go Jo. It wasn't too bad right? _Jo sighed wondering how long she could keep this act up.

_That was awkward. _Mac thought. He was not used to talking to Jo like that. Even in grave cases, Jo would always talk to him about the case with full-on expressions, facial or otherwise. She would at the very least offer him a small smile or an intense gaze depending on how they were doing on the case. But what happened a few minutes ago, it was as if they were in a classroom, and she was reciting her answers to his questions about their lesson. Mac looked down to what he was reading before Jo entered his office, and tried hard to focus on it while pushing the nagging guilt to the back of his mind. _I'll deal with you later when I know how to do it _he thought grimly.

Mac was on his way to ask Hawkes for an update when he saw Jo walking towards the same direction as his. She nodded to him before entering the lab where Hawkes was and he followed suit.

"Do you have anything on the… uhh… the uhh…" Mac stammered, his hands suddenly going cold.

"You're the one on the _shoeprints_, right? Or was it Lindsay?" Jo asked Hawkes with a smile, before frowning. "Sometimes it gets confusing who's got what" Jo chuckled.

Mac glanced at her before forcing a tiny smile on his lips when he realized Sheldon was not taking any notice on the slip-up.

"Yeah, shoeprints are mine. Lindsay's got the fiber. Anyway, I checked if we can match the sole print from anything in our database but it was smudged so much that finding a match is not possible. I also found a trace of blood and it matched to our vic Melissa. Other than that, it simply was a dead end for me." Sheldon explained oblivious of what had just happened.

"Boss, I pulled up the list of calls that Melissa had made and received on her mobile and I found one particular recurring number. I tracked it down and it's been giving off signal from this location." Adam entered the lab as he talked before handing the tablet to his boss.

-Crime Lab 9:15PM-

"Bruno Cortez confessed to the murder of Melissa Cario. He said Melissa wanted out but he won't let her, they've been doing it for two years now. He went to her apartment that day to pick up a few paintings only to find out that Melissa did not include any heroine inside. She said she did not want to do it anymore, said she was afraid to get caught after she saw on the news that the Mayor vowed to intensify the battle against drugs. Melissa tried to run away but he had managed to grab her hair and that's when he stabbed her in her living room floor." Don announced lengthily when he entered Mac's office, shaking his head after a while.

"She had been doing it for a long time. When she finally built up the courage to go against Bruno, it was already too late for her." Mac said, looking up to Don.

"You want to join us for dinner? Danny has been dreaming about the burger from the diner around the corner for weeks now since Jo told him how good it supposedly was." Don asked Mac, silently hoping for him to say yes.

Mac's heart pounded wildly on his chest at the idea of going out with them. He wanted to know if Jo's going to join them but he knew better not to ask. He waited for Don to say anything, a hint maybe, if Jo would indeed be there. When he realized Don was not going to say anything more, he hesitated for another moment.

"Okay. Burger instead of granola bar for dinner." Mac said smiling at Don thinking, _how high is the probability of Jo refusing a big, juicy burger for dinner with the team? Next to zero._

"You made the right choice, man." Don said laughing. Hoping to high heavens their scheme will work out as planned.

"Hey Jo, are you done? Would you want to join us for burger?" Lindsay asked Jo when she saw her shutting down her computer.

"Burger?" Jo repeated to Lindsay, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, Danny just would not stop bugging me about the burger he said you highly recommended." Lindsay said, rolling her eyes, smiling at Jo.

_What are the chances that Mac would leave his office to have dinner, let alone a burger? Too slim._ Jo thought. "Sure. Perfect end to a stressful day." she told Lindsay, smiling.

-Diner-

_Why didn't I use my Detective instinct?! Someday, my weakness for food would kill me."_ Jo thought annoyingly. The whole team, except Sid, was on their way to the diner and Jo did not expect Mac to join them. She wanted to back out but it was already too late. If she tried to give them an excuse at that point, they would surely call her bluff. _Damn it. _

They took the booth at the far end of the diner, beside the window. It has a three-seater on both sides of the table and Don had dragged a chair from the table behind theirs and put it at the edge of the table, where he sat down. Jo slid first to seat at the end of the three-seater, next to the window, without realizing that Mac had done the same so they now are sitting in front of the other. Lindsay slid next to Jo, Danny following her. Sheldon sat next to Mac, and Adam sandwiched between Sheldon and Don.

After placing their orders, they all chattered quite loudly, save for the two senior detectives. Both of them had only smiled once in a while, sometimes adding a thought or two but mostly, just listening to the whole conversation of very diverse topics. Unbeknownst to them, everyone at the table was very aware of the awkwardness between the two of them. Both of them seemed to let out their breaths only when the foods arrived.

Everybody was still chattering about while starting to dig in their burgers when Mac spoke up,

"Would anyone please pass me the… umm…" Mac pointed to the direction of the ketchup and mustard squeeze bottles, desperately trying to remember what the term for the red condiment is, but failing miserably.

"Yeah, a little bit more ketchup would make it yummier" Jo said a little too cheerily before looking expectantly at Danny, while holding her hand out for the ketchup bottle.

Danny grabbed the ketchup beside him and passed it to Jo, clueless of Mac's real battle. He just thought that Mac was confused between ketchup and mustard.

Jo squirted some ketchup on her burger patty before passing the bottle to Mac, without looking at him. She then directed her full attention on eating her burger, looking up only once in a while at her colleagues, with the exception of the one sitting directly opposite her.

For the rest of the night, Mac tried in vain to catch Jo's eyes. He wanted to express his thanks to Jo for saving him again but Jo was determined not to glance at his direction. The night ended with their stomachs full but Mac felt hollow.

Every day, the guilt of how he treated Jo when he knew she was only concerned about him, kept on getting stronger. And every day, through Jo's own little ways, though Mac knew it was not deliberate on her part, he would be reminded of what a jerk he was for lashing out at her.

What's irking him more is that as headstrong as Jo was, she was actually following what he had 'ordered' her to do. She was actually terminating all personal connections with him, save for the times that she had saved his ass from getting caught red-handed for covering up his memory problem.


	5. Chapter 5

_From Chapter 4_

_Every day, the guilt of how he treated Jo when he knew she was only concerned about him, kept on getting stronger. And every day, through Jo's own little ways, though Mac knew it was not deliberate on her part, he would be reminded of what a jerk he was for lashing out at her. _

_What's irking him more is that as headstrong as Jo was, she was actually following what he had 'ordered' her to do. She was actually terminating all personal connections with him, save for the times that she had saved his ass from getting caught red-handed for covering up his memory problem._

**Chapter 5**

"So my beloved investigator-friends, had anybody figured out the matter yet?" Don asked his CSI friends before taking a sip of vodka, letting his eyes sweep around the members of their small circle while doing so.

They had decided to continue their night-out at the bar they frequent after leaving the diner. Don, Adam, Sheldon, Danny, and Lindsay were all sitting in a circle, scrutinizing their bosses' actions. Mac and Jo had both begged off, claiming to have to do something, somewhere.

"I thought you were crazy when Lindsay told me about your idea for tonight. But when I saw how they were at the diner earlier, I must agree that you had good reason for using me as bait tonight." Danny said with a smirk.

"Their usual banter was gone. And they barely talk to each other. Even at the lab, they would only talk about the case, and only when it was absolutely necessary for them to exchange a few words. Hell, Jo did not even make as much as a glance at Mac tonight. I just find it a little… you know… sad." Lindsay expressed sadly before holding Danny's hand.

"Okay, I don't know if this could help or anything, but I think the last time that I saw them talking was the night when we found Tommy Lewis' body. I saw them talking on the side street after Tommy's body was loaded into the van. Based on the expression on Mac's face, the conversation was not anywhere near of being nice. After whatever he told Jo, he walked away and left her standing there. It took Jo a minute before she headed back to join us." Sheldon looked at Danny to see if he had also witnessed that scene but Danny just shrugged before shaking his head.

"You mean to say, they had an argument?" Adam asked, perplexed.

"I don't think it was an argument. I did not see Jo say anything back to Mac. Only Mac did the talking" Sheldon said frowning at the thought. It was unthinkable for Mac to burst out like that in a crime scene, especially not at Jo.

They all went quiet for a while, thinking of what Sheldon had just shared.

"If we were to follow this lead, then the whole ordeal might have started from that talk they had that night." Don was the first to break the silence. "What could have happened for Jo to earn Mac's ire?"

Everybody went quiet again, clueless of what Jo might have done for Mac to behave that way. They couldn't believe that Jo was capable of doing anything to make Mac mad at her. Especially if they would take into consideration the kind of relationship Mac and Jo had for the last two years. And Jo wasn't exactly capable of making people mad at her, well, except for criminals, maybe. But even the criminals would warm up to her and start spilling their guts out in no time. You may get annoyed with her, bothered, vexed; but never mad. And even if you wanted to get mad at her, you simply didn't stand a chance against her ultimate weapon of choice –her Southern charm.

They all went home after another round of drinks. They theorized, debated, and schemed, but they all went home empty-handed, unable to pin point the cause of this drift between their bosses.

-Mac's Apartment-

Mac woke up the next day with a headache. He had a restless sleep; napping for a few hours, waking up, napping, only to wake up again at the crack of the dawn. It was nothing new for him actually. He spent the last eleven years or so doing the same routine every single night. But this one's different. It might not had bothered him if the cause of this restlessness was any other reason, but the fact that he knew it was his conscience that was not letting him sleep, that was what bothered him the most.

He got up and went out to jog before he prepares for work. Jogging had always helped him clear his mind off things and he loved jogging during the early hours of the morning when there were barely a handful of people around. This meant peace and tranquility for him before he faces another day of crime-busting.

He was already almost out of his apartment when he noticed the message icon flashing on his phone's screen.

"_Breakfast"?_ a text from Christine said.

He felt awful when he realized that he had forgotten about her. He didn't even send her a single text or left her any voicemail message the whole of yesterday. In fact, he didn't even remember to try to reach her yesterday. The last attempt to reach her was the day he asked her to join him for burger. _Maybe she didn't fancy talking to you about your problem with burger juice dripping down her chin_ he chuckled but then scowled at himself _oh, so you think it's funny? You're relationship is hanging by a thread and you still have the heart to joke around? _Mac shook his head at his thoughts, and then proceeded to send Christine a reply.

"_sure. Café near your place?" _his reply went.

"_okay, see you in 20"_ came Christine's short reply.

Twenty minutes after, they were seated at a quaint coffee shop down Christine's street. Mac thought it weird for them to sit there, presumably as a couple and yet talk a little too formally.

"I was not able to return your calls" started Christine after taking a sip of her House Blend. "I thought I should figure out first what I wanted to tell you before we have a talk." She took a breath before continuing, "I did not appreciate you throwing me out of your office that day. I was upset, but then again I thought I wanted to be there for you to get through whatever it was that you were hiding from me." Christine looked up at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you in my office. I did not mean it to be that way. And I am very thankful that you wanted to help me. But… I'm having a hard time accepting this… condition… myself." Mac offered her, as a way of explanation, though he was not yet sure if he should tell her about his memory problem.

Christine reached over the table to put her hand on his "Mac, I was there with you at the hospital for the last six months, day in and day out. I did not stay with you because I needed to but because I wanted to. I wanted to see you through this too. Let me help you. I would never look less of you whatever that 'condition' might be. I love you Mac. Can't you see that?" Christine said, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

_Damn it. This is exactly what I was avoiding. _"I know you love me. You have proven it to me over and over for the last six months." _Now, easy way out or the hard way?_ Mac took a deep breath before exhaling "I love you too Christine"_ easy way it is._

Christine beamed at him; the urge to know what Mac's 'condition' was, completely forgotten for now.

After breakfast, Mac dropped Christine off at her restaurant before heading to the lab. He had just gotten off the elevator when he heard Adam's loud voice

"J.D.! Look at ya! Who's you're hot momma?! J.D.! That's who!" Adam said too loudly before letting out a wolf-whistle.

"Oh stop it Adam. I don't know what came to that man. Why was he doing this?! Uggh!" Mac heard Jo said.

When Mac walked nearer to his office, he saw rose petals scattered near the doorway of Jo and Lindsay's office. He walked over to see what was happening, face all scrunched up.

Adam, standing with his back facing the doorway, did not see Mac approach them. He let out another whoot and was about to wolf-whistle again when he heard Mac's voice.

"Anybody care to tell me what's going on here?" Mac said looking around the office before his eyes fell over a very large bouquet of two dozen long-stemmed red roses sitting at Jo's table. Red and white rose petals were scattered on the floor starting from the doorway to where Jo's chair was where it ended in a shape of a heart.

Confusion clouded Mac's face. But before he could say anything more, he heard Lindsay speak.

"Look at all of these! It's so cute and romantic and sweet!" Lindsay gushed unaware of Mac's expression that had changed from confusion to one of annoyance. "Russ was trying to win Jo all over again." Lindsay said before sighing loudly. "I think Danny could learn a thing or two from Russ." she added, grinning at Jo who stood there frowning at the thought of Russ 'trying to win her over again'.

Mac looked up when he heard Russ's name. He thought Lindsay was joking but then he saw a card peeking out from the bouquet. It was addressed to Jo and signed off by Russ.

Jo saw Mac clenched his jaw. She knew her boss wouldn't appreciate this kind of a 'show' in his lab. She thought Mac was annoyed of the time being spent by the three of them looking at Russ's handiwork instead of trying to solve crimes. Jo immediately apologized to him to avoid any reprimand from him and also to prevent Lindsay and Adam from being dragged to this.

"Mac, sorry about this. I didn't have any idea. But I'll clean it all up right now." Jo said, already picking up the bouquet to put it on the couch.

Lindsay, picking up on Jo's worried voice said "I'll go get a broom" and hastily went out of their office. Adam also retreated to his lab, while making his exit as noiselessly as possible.

Only Mac was left standing at the doorway. He stood stock-still, not moving even a muscle. His mind went blank, and only when he heard Lindsay rushing back to the office that he was able to move his feet and strode to his own office.

_What, in Heaven's name was Russ doing? _Mac thought as he sat down on his chair and faced his computer screen. _And what is it to you?!_ Mac groaned as he tried to ignore that nagging voice inside of him, and that pounding heart of his.

-Jo's office-

"Russ!" Jo hissed on the phone. "What were you thinking sending me flowers here?"

"You're welcome! Did you like it?" came the reply from the other end of the line.

"Like it? Are you kidding me? Do you think we're still in college? This is not a dorm where you can ask my dorm mates to help you with your schemes." Jo said feeling her anger rise up to the surface. She didn't want to run into any more trouble with Mac. And she had been doing everything to avoid any talks between the two of them; talks that were unnecessary, that she might receive from him at the end of her shift today.

"Relax Jo. I just wanted to surprise you, that's all."

_Is that sadness I detect on his voice?_ "Just please do not do this again. You're going to get me in trouble with Mac." Jo said, instantly regretting that she said Mac's name. She can only hope Russ would not read anything from it.

"Okay, I promise I won't do that again. How about at your place? Do you think I could do something like that again at your place?" a slow smile forming on his lips.

"No. Ex-husband, please! Just let me live in peace, okay?"

"You know Jo; I like and dislike it at the same time whenever you call me that."

"Then there's something wrong with you. Go get it checked out."

Russ laughed on the phone. "You're still as cute as always."

"Oh, don't be mistaken, I am not trying to be cute here. I am telling you to stay away from me. I mean, really, why can't we just be like a normal divorced couple? Do what normal divorced couples do?"

"Because, we are not like them. Hadn't you felt that we had something very special?

"Ugh, I am not having this conversation with you. I am going back to work. You have already wasted almost half of my day as it is. Just please remember not to do what you did again, or rather just don't do anything. Okay? Please?" Jo ended the call and turned her attention to her computer, still annoyed with Russ, but… _no, I'm not giving it another thought_.

Mac's mobile phone started ringing in his pocket. He was on his way back to his office when it rang. He glanced at the caller ID to see Christine's name before answering it.

"Would you like to join me for lunch later?"

"I'm sorry Christine, I don't think I could. I have to attend a budget meeting right after lunch hour. Maybe next time?" Mac said a little surprised at first. But then he remembered they had already made up this morning.

"It's okay; just call me when you're available." Christine said, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Yeah, I'll do that."

"Bye Mac. I love you."

"Yeah… uhhh… I love you too."

Jo walked quietly behind Mac when she saw him talking on the phone. She thought of going the other way to her office when she saw him walking down the hall but when she noticed he's on the phone, she decided to take a chance. As she was about three feet away from where he was standing, she heard him say 'I love you' presumably to Christine.

She was about to get pass him when he ended his call, just in time to see her trying to navigate her way around him. Mac suddenly froze when he realized Jo must have heard him. _By the looks of it, Jo must have already been standing about three to four feet away from me when I said 'I love you' to Christine._ His mind was working frantically now, trying to gauge how far was she from him while he was talking to Christine, and which part of their conversation had she heard.

"Jo" she heard him call her.

She stopped dead on her tracks.

"Mac" she turned around to face him with a small smile on her lips.

Mac hesitated. He had no idea what to say to her or why he had called her name. They just stood there, looking at each other.

Finally, Jo smiled at him, a little bit bigger this time before walking away.

_What the hell? Why do I feel like I have to explain anything to Jo?_ Mac thought confused but at the same time scared of what that might mean.

Deep down inside, he knew why he felt guilty towards Jo. But he did not want to admit it, yet. He was not ready to face it, yet. He just knew that whatever it was, it's killing him not to acknowledge it.

Jo thought it was a close call. When she heard Mac call her name, she thought he was going to tell her to stay behind later for the talk about what happened this morning. She could only sigh in relief when he did not say anything.

_That's still weird, calling me and then not saying anything. Oh my God! Was it one of those moments when he couldn't recall what he wanted to say? I hope not. What if he was talking to someone else and that happened? _Jo shuddered at the thought and pushed it away from her mind. She picked up her own phone and dialed Ellie's number.

"Ellie, I'm going to fetch you tonight after your practice okay? Wait for me."

"Why are you going to fetch me mom?" Ellie asked her mother, sounding confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I not allowed to fetch my baby from school?" mocked Jo.

"I'm not a baby anymore mom. Well, okay, you come fetch me. I'll wait for you."

"Okay baby. I love you."

"I love you more momma."

As Jo ended the call, she thought that if Mac would indeed want to talk to her later, she would just tell him that she had to rush to Ellie's school to fetch her.

Jo smiled at herself.


	6. Chapter 6

**First, I'd like to say thank you to everybody who's reading this. I really appreciate this support that you are giving me. I'd also like to thank those who take time to leave a review/comment and since there's no other way for me to reply to guest reviewers, please allow me to say thanks to them here esp. to guest reviewer Aneezilda. **** Special thanks also to McGonagall's Bola.**

_From Chapter 5_

"_I'm not a baby anymore mom. Well, okay, you come fetch me. I'll wait for you."_

"_Okay baby. I love you."_

"_I love you more momma."_

_As Jo ended the call, she thought that if Mac would indeed want to talk to her later, she would just tell him that she had to rush to Ellie's school to fetch her. _

_Jo smiled to herself._

**Chapter 6**

The budget meeting started way beyond schedule and Mac was getting more impatient by the minute. His mind wandered to the monstrous amount of paperwork he had left on his table for his approval and sighed heavily out of frustration.

Meanwhile, Jo silently offered her thanks when she saw Mac's empty office. She walked over to his desk and stacked another handful of file folders atop the already threatening-to-topple-over pile sitting there, waiting for his signature. She quickly walked out of his office to the elevator, for fear of running into him. She entered the small space and immediately jammed her forefinger to the close button, holding her breath until she arrived at the underground garage.

She only let herself relax when she was already a block away from the lab, on her way to fetch Ellie. Half an hour later, she was already driving towards her apartment with Ellie beside her.

_Torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool_

_Loving both of you is breaking all the rules_

_Torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool_

_Loving you both is breaking all the rules_

Jo stared in horror at the radio. She hadn't realized what was playing until she stopped at a red light.

_You mustn't think you failed me_

_Just because there's someone else_

_You were the first real love I ever had_

_And all the things I ever said_

_I swear they still are true_

_For no one else can have the part of me I gave to you_

Jo's hand quickly darted to turn off the radio. She then sighed heavily before slouching on the driver's seat, blindly staring at the traffic light.

"It got too real?" Jo was brought back to reality upon hearing Ellie's voice.

"What you mean it got too real?" Jo asked her daughter who's looking at her with a mischievous smile on her face.

"The song! Torn between two lovers, right? Do you need me to name those two lovers of yours?" Ellie said chuckling while wiggling her eyebrows at her too shocked mother.

It took her a beat longer before she recovered her composure "Ellie, there are no two lovers, or any lover for that matter." Jo said still bewildered.

"uh huh.. Mac and Russ. See, I could name them!" Ellie exclaimed triumphantly before looking out the window, smiling.

Jo's mouth dropped open. She was too stunned of what Ellie had said that she did not even notice when the lights turned green. She was only able to release her hand brake when five or so cars had blared their horns simultaneously.

Jo's heart was still thumping loudly at her chest when she signaled left. She could understand why Ellie said Mac's name, but "Russ?" Jo wasn't even aware that she had blurted it out loud, until she heard another chuckle from Ellie.

"Bouquet of roses on your desk, scattered rose petals on the floor… sounds familiar?" Ellie said, turning to face her mother.

"How on earth did you know that?" Jo asked her, incredulously.

"Well, where else you think did he got the idea?" Ellie said, a hint of pride in her voice. "Oh, but the heart shape was all his. Pretty witty, I must say." Ellie said nodding.

"You teamed-up with Russ to humiliate me?" Jo asked her again when Ellie's words had finally sunk in.

"Not so much to humiliate you, mom. He just wanted to do something special for you. Tyler was clueless, so they turned to me for advice." Ellie explained nonchalantly.

"Tyler? Both of you teamed-up with Russ against me? Why, I didn't realize that I'd just raised two little traitors" Jo exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

"Didn't you like it? I think it was sweet. And cute too!"

"Ellie, it's sweet and cute if you're in college. But it's humiliating if you're already working, not to mention… Ellie, at my age?! And most importantly, it's far from being sweet and cute if it's from your ex-husband." Jo said a little exasperated.

Ellie laughed loudly.

'Oh! Oh, you think it's funny huh?" Jo said bitterly.

Ellie laughed again.

"Ellie! Stop laughing. It's not funny."

"Okay, so, did Mac saw it? The flowers? Everything?" Ellie asked a little more serious now.

"Mac? Yes! Along with Adam and Lindsay and half of the lab techs." Jo shuddered when she remembered Adam's reaction. _Oh God, how could I live that one down?_

"So what was his reaction? Mac, I mean?" Ellie asked eagerly.

"Nothing. He just looked at the little commotion you caused, and then stormed off. For a while I thought I'd be getting it. Thank God he was still stuck in a meeting when I left. And you better hope that I wouldn't be called to his office because of this, or else I'll ground you for two weeks."

Then a thought popped in her mind just as they entered the driveway "Wait a minute Ellie, you didn't…" Jo trailed off a little "...you didn't tell Russ to do that just to know what Mac's reaction would be, did you?" Jo asked, fearing that Ellie might actually say yes.

Ellie just sat there biting her lower lip to keep herself from smiling.

"Ellie!" Jo cried out as she parked her car at the basement garage of her apartment.

"Do you think we should order in or are you gonna cook?" Ellie asked her mother innocently as she released her seatbelt and opened the car door.

"Ellie, don't change the subject. Answer me." Jo almost implored to Ellie as they walk to the bank of elevators.

"Honestly?" Ellie asked smiling as she stepped into one of the elevators and pushed their floor number.

"Of course. Why would you even think that I might prefer to hear otherwise?" Jo looked at her with a scowl.

"Well, a little. Yes. I mean, it's not like I purposefully asked Russ to do it with that intention in mind. But when Russ and Tyler came to me, I just thought that a door was opened for me and I just had to grab the opportunity. The original plan was to set it up at home, but I suddenly thought of Mac. So I just asked Russ to do it at the lab instead." Ellie explained lengthily.

"Oh Ellie, what am I supposed to do with you?" Jo said tiredly as she opened the door to their apartment.

"I just wanted to help both Russ and you."

"Me? Why would you think I needed help of that kind or some other kind?"

"I thought that by doing that, I'd be able to hit two birds with one stone. Russ would be able to do something special for you, as what he wished for. On the other hand, I'd like to elicit a reaction from Mac. You know, so that we'd have any idea on how he feels about you." Ellie said sincerely.

Jo saw a flash of pain cross Ellie's face. She knew it was caused by the conversation that they had the other night but she cannot allow another 'surprise' especially if it would be staged at her workplace.

"Ellie, you shouldn't have done that." Jo told her as she sat on the sofa dragging Ellie with her.

Ellie sat beside her mother and hugged her "I'm sorry mom." she said in a tiny voice.

"It's okay Ellie; just promise me not to do it again."

"I promise. But mom... can I ask you something?" Ellie said leaning back to look at her mother.

"Sure baby"

"Why don't you tell Mac how you feel about him? I mean, you're both adult and mature enough to talk about these things." Ellie said, her eyes softening, her voice soft and sad.

Jo gave her a little smile "Why would I do that Ellie? I wouldn't want to need to look for another job in another state if things get awkward between us." Jo said softly now.

"I just thought that if you tell him how you feel, maybe he'd realize that he feels the same way about you too. That way, he wouldn't be able to hurt you anymore." Ellie said tearfully to her mother.

Jo reached out to pull Ellie to a hug again. "Silly child. It's not going to happen baby."

"Why not? I saw how he treats you momma, and from all of your stories, who knows, there might be something pleasant in it?"

"I'd hate to disappoint you but what you're saying is not going to happen because he already has someone. Someone who stayed beside him all this time, since he was shot, and even before that."

Ellie's head suddenly snapped up then she looked quizzically at her mother.

"But what good is that if she stayed beside him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it that 'behind every great man is a woman'? Mac shouldn't be with a woman who stayed beside him. He should be with a woman who always has his back, supporting him all the way, unconditionally. Someone who pushes him to do his best but receives him with both arms open when he fails, without asking him why he failed." Ellie paused, looked at her mother's eyes before adding quietly, "That was you mom. That was you."

Jo pushed down the lump in her throat. She didn't want to show Ellie that she was breaking up but what Ellie said, it was the most apt description of what she had been doing all this time. Even now, after what's been said, deep down she knew that all Mac had to do was to reach out to her and she would have returned to how she was with him before. He didn't even have to apologize to her. She would still accept his friendship, if he wanted her to. That is why even when he told her off; she still couldn't stop herself from helping him whenever he finds himself stumbling on his words. _I will always receive you with open arms Mac, no matter how broken you are. I'll patch you up till you're good to go and I won't even ask you to stay with me if you'd rather not to._

Jo sighed before kissing Ellie's forehead "Just promise me you won't do anything like what you did this morning again"

"I really promise not to do it again, but please tell me why you won't even try it."

"Because Mac's already with Christine. He loves her as she loves him. And everything that had happened between Mac and I are enough for me." Jo paused as tears filled her eyes "a woman's heart could only take as much" she whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

**From Chapter 6**

_Jo sighed before kissing Ellie's forehead "Just promise me you won't do anything like what you did this morning again"_

_"I really promise not to do it again, but please tell me why you won't even try it."_

_"Because Mac's already with Christine. He loves her as she loves him. And everything that had happened between Mac and I were enough for me." Jo paused as tears filled her eyes "a woman's heart could only take as much" she whispered._

**Chapter 7**

-Jo's apartment-

"Danville" croaked Jo throatily on the phone.

"Jo, it's Mac. I'm sorry to wake you up but we have a crime scene just two blocks away from your place." Mac paused unsure if Jo had heard what he just said.

"Okay, text me the address?" Jo's sleepy voice said causing a very tiny smile to creep up Mac's lips.

"Yeah, I'll send it to you."

Jo clicked the phone shut before tossing it on her bedside table. She glanced at the clock and scowled. _Why don't these thugs go get some more sleep instead of committing crimes at 4AM?_

-Crime Scene-

15 minutes later, Jo walked up to Don "Mornin', what's for breakfast?"

Mac smiled when he heard Jo. His back was turned to her so she didn't notice his smile.

"Well, if you fancy some tomato soup for breakfast, feel free to go near the body. It's over there, Mac's already taken photos." Don said smiling as he jabbed his thumb to the direction of where the body was lying.

Jo hesitated a moment when he saw Mac bent over the body examining something. She then walked over with Don beside her, briefing her over.

"Witness said she just came out from that alley when a man mugged her. She yelped in surprise but did not fight back. Probably too stunned to move, she just stood there and stared at the man. The perp might have thought that she was trying to remember his face so he shot her. Our witness said she was shot first on the body but when the killer saw her still breathing on the ground, he put another bullet on her forehead, killing her. Satisfied with what he saw, the perp ran away. Her name's Serena Aniston, student at the NYU." Don said reading from his notes.

When Jo saw the body, she immediately understood what Don had meant by 'tomato soup'. The female vic was lying on her back, on a big pool of blood. There was a single shot wound on her forehead and another on her side.

"I'll process the alleyway, maybe the perp was hiding somewhere in that dark alley, waiting for a victim."

The two senior detectives working separately without any acknowledgement of each other's presence did not escape Don's notice. He was watching them at the corner of his eye when he noticed something.

A mischievous smile spread on his face.

Mac had just bagged another evidence and signed off the label when he stole another glance at the person working just a few feet away from him.

"Want to process the alleyway, instead? I can ask Danny to take over the body if you want."

Mac was caught off-guard by Don's voice behind him, causing him to jump a little.

"Too much coffee is bad for you, man." Don told his boss when he noticed him jump at his voice.

Mac felt himself blush so he turned his back at Don and pretended to be examining another 'evidence'. "I think Jo could handle the alley all by herself. I'm about done with the body you can ask them to bring out the body bag now." Mac said trying to get a hold of himself.

"Uh huh... copy that." Don said turning away from Mac, only to walk back to him.

Don positioned himself between Mac and Jo, and then he faced Mac.

"Are you sure you don't want to process the alley?" Don said with a huge smile on his face, when Mac looked up to him.

Mac raised his eyebrows at Don "Yes. I'm sure"

"Okay then." Don said smirking.

Mac frowned at him before walking back to his avalanche. _Don must have had seen something. His smile was mocking to say the least. Damn it Mac. Get a grip of yourself before you regret it. _Mac scolded himself as he drove off to the crime lab.

-Crime Lab-

Mac was on the phone when Jo walked out of the elevator. He followed her with his eyes, waiting for her to look into his office like the way she used to do since her first day in the lab, but failed. Jo passed his office without so much as a glance to his direction.

He ended his call and picked up the first case file on his desk _what's wrong with you Mac? Why even wonder when you knew that you're the reason behind Jo's change of attitude. If you were not such an ass to her, maybe you're still basking at all the attention that she gives you. But no, you chose to hurt her when she was just trying to help. And what's worse was you didn't even try to right your mistake._

Mac sighed at the irony of his situation. He wanted to bring their relationship back to how it was before. He tried to amend the situation _by saying that you were a 'bit short' with her?_ Mac groaned inwardly, looked like his own conscience would be the one to prove him guilty.

Mac rubbed his face with his hands and sighed. Maybe it was not enough. Maybe he should have tried harder. _Or maybe you should have just told her everything._ His mind was still occupied by all thoughts about how to make it up to Jo when he heard a soft knock on the door.

Mac was surprised to see Christine standing on the doorway smiling at him.

"Hey. Come in." He said, standing up to meet her.

He froze a bit when Christine leaned in to place a soft kiss on his lips. His eyes immediately shot to the hallway to see if 'anybody' was looking and was relieved to see that nobody's paying them any attention. _Were you afraid of anybody seeing Christine kiss you or were you afraid of ONE particular person seeing Christine kiss you?_ He mentally kicked himself for thinking that.

"Here, sit down." He said pointing at the chair opposite his desk.

"I brought you lunch. Can you take you a little break so we can eat together?" Christine asked him still smiling.

He glanced at the wall clock in his office. 1:25. He didn't even notice that it's already past noon. He looked at his folder-strewn desk and realized that he still hasn't halved the paperwork yet.

"Uh… sure. Yeah. We can eat at the coffee table there." He said pointing at the low glass table near the couch.

Jo was about to enter Mac's office with the DNA result that she found on the chewing gum wrapper in the alley when she saw him and Christine huddled together at the couch, eating.

She quickly turned around and went back to her office. Pain was tugging at her heart as though somebody was pricking a needle at it. She took a deep breath before walking out again to find Adam. _At least he's eating. _She thought while trying to even her breathing.

"Anything on the CCTV?" she asked Adam when she walked through the door, startling him.

"Yeah. The CCTV had managed to catch the mugging but there's no clean shot on the face. He was burly and tall. He shielded his face with the hood of his jacket. I was still waiting for the CCTV footage from where he rounded the corner. Maybe we would be able to identify him from that one." Adam said while tapping his pen on against the keyboard.

"Okay, keep me posted."

It was already a little over three in the afternoon when Danny entered Mac's office with a tablet in his hand.

"Richard Matthews. 20 years old. Studies at NYU" Danny handed the tablet for Mac to see.

"Adam was able to ID him when he rounded the corner after he fled the scene." Danny continued. "It was not random mugging, Mac. He was really waiting for Serena at that alley. We run his head shot through our database; turned out he had already been arrested once. Fraternity brawl. That's when we found out that he was studying at NYU, with three of his subjects, the same as Serena's."

"How about the gum wrapper Jo had found in the alley? Did it have any DNA on it?"

"Yep, Jo run it and it came out with both Matthews' and Aniston's prints. It only strengthened my theory that Richard and Serena knew each other. Maybe he wanted something that's inside Serena's bag."

"But why mug her? Why didn't he just ask for it?"

"Maybe it's time to ask him to come pay us a visit."

"Go with Flack. Get that man down here." Mac ordered Danny.

Danny turned to go when something caught Mac's attention.

"Danny, you said Jo run the DNA on the gum wrapper?"

"Yep. She showed it to you, right?"

"Nope. That's why I asked about it."

"But she was already on her way to show you the result when I bumped into her earlier."

Mac frowned. Then his head suddenly shot up. He looked at Danny and with a pounding heart, he asked

"What time again did you say you saw Jo on her way to show the result to me?"

"Oh… I'm not sure about the exact time but it was somewhere between 1:20 to 1:30. I just came out of the pantry when I saw her."

_Shit. Why didn't she come to my office then? Did she see... Shit! _Mac shut his eyes at the thought of Jo seeing Christine kissing him.

"Is there a problem Mac?" Danny asked concern in his voice.

Mac shook his head before opening his eyes again.

"Nothing Danny. You may go with Flack now." Mac said, while his mind kept on playing the kissing scene over and over again.

-Precinct-

It took them fifteen minutes in the interrogation room before Richard Matthews spilled his guts out. With ballistics report matching the bullet marks to his father's gun, his fingerprint and saliva on the gum wrapper in the alley, and the CCTV footage with his face on it, he was smart enough not to waste the already-impatient Don's time.

Serena was his on-and-off girlfriend for the past year and a half. She discovered that Matthews was using drugs. She confronted him before but he denied it. Last night, she went to him and showed him a picture of him sniffing cocaine in a bar. She threatened him that she will show the picture to his father who is a lawyer with a very good reputation. Afraid of what his father would do to him, he begged her not to do it. But she was determined. The only thing that she said could change her mind was if he would change his ways. He gave her his word and asked her to never tell on him.

They then went to a bar to spend some time together. It was already nearing dawn when a bunch of his friends came in and sat with them. Not really fond of these people who she knew were the ones giving Richard his supply, she asked Richard to leave the bar with her. When he refused, she stood up and left. She went to the ladies' room first before heading home but when she came out, she saw Richard sniffing cocaine down his nose. Enraged by what she saw, she confronted Richard again and threatened him about the picture before storming out.

Fueled by cocaine and alcohol, Richard went after her but was not able to see which way she went. Knowing her route home, he waited in the alley where he knew she would surely pass. He snatched her bag from her and was about to flee when he heard her whisper his name. Little did she know that he was carrying his father's gun to show off to his friends when she came to him earlier at his dorm. With the deadly potion clouding his judgment, he whipped out his father's gun and shot her. When he saw that she's still breathing on the ground, he stood over her and shot another one into her skull before fleeing.

Both Jo and Mac, who were watching the whole confession at the other side of the one-way mirror, were speechless. Don joined them a while later as he left Richard to write his confession "Damn these kids. Doesn't matter if you're schooled at one of the best the country has to offer, man. Doesn't really matter." Don said shaking his head.

"Yeah, you care for them, try to help them, the next thing you knew you got shot at by the very same person you wanted to save." Jo said, disappointment and sadness in her voice, eyes not leaving Richard who's now crying while writing his confession.

Mac stiffened at her words. He knew that she was talking about Richard and Serena but somehow, he could feel her words stabbing at him like a sharp knife too. Didn't she also cared for him, tried to help him, and the next thing she knew, he was scolding her for doing so and then he pushed her away?

Mac went out of precinct with a very heavy heart. What he wouldn't give to relive that moment in the sidewalk so that he could stop himself from hurting Jo like that.


	8. Chapter 8

_**From Chapter 7**_

_Mac stiffened at her words. He knew that she was talking about Richard and Serena but somehow, he could feel her words stabbing at him like a sharp knife too. Didn't she also cared for him, tried to help him, and the next thing she knew, he was scolding her for doing so and then he pushed her away? _

_Mac went out of precinct with a very heavy heart. What he wouldn't give to relive that moment in the sidewalk so that he could stop himself from hurting Jo like that._

**Chapter 8**

"Mac! Hey Mac!" Don called out to his boss.

Mac turned around to face Don.

"Do you want to go for a drink? This case just got too intense for me." Don said, his eyes pleading with Mac's.

Mac opened his mouth to decline but his mind wandered to what happened this afternoon with Christine, then the thought that Jo might have witnessed the kiss, and Jo's words at the precinct,

"Okay. I'll join you." Mac said, much to Don's astonishment.

_That wasn't so hard. _Don thought, his mind still processing the fact that Mac didn't put up a fight as what he used to do whenever they would invite him for a night-out. In fact, these past couple of years, Mac had been very accommodating with their invites. But, those were mostly because of the convincing, persuading, and ultimately, pestering prowess of Jo. Who would have even believed that she had managed to get Mac to join her in window shopping one Black Friday night? If not for the murder that they ended up investigating, Don would have laughed at the person who would tell him that Mac was out window shopping.

-Bar-

Both Mac and Don were nursing a beer bottle each; their second now. They had a light dinner and had already talked about the case and other cases as well, along with their first round of light beer, but both weren't ready to call it a night, yet.

Don thought that now is the perfect time to go for the gold. He's not sure if this is the way to get Mac open up to him since it's clear to all of them how private Mac is, but he knew that he would just have to risk it.

"Mac, why did you join me tonight?" Don asked Mac gingerly.

Mac's eyebrow shot up "Already regretting my company?" he said with a smile.

"No. Man, I'd like to see you go out more instead of making your office your permanent address. And I'd be very much willing to accompany you most of the time. But, let's face it. It takes more than a single invite to coax you out of your fishbowl. Oral argument and incessant prodding are needed to make you join us. And even then, we had only managed to convince you only a couple of times, unless Jo was the one to do everything, then it's a whole lot easier." Don sighed, eyeing Mac carefully.

Mac rolled his eyes. "Jo" he said smirking "who could say 'no' to her, really?" then scowled at himself when he realized what he just said. _Damn it Mac. Be careful of what you say. You're digging your own grave._

Mac shifted in his seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Yeah, it's difficult to reject her charm." Don said smiling at Mac, noticing how he's starting to look uncomfortable.

"How are you and Christine, by the way?" Don asked when Mac did not say anything.

"Christine? We're doing good." He said, taking a swig from the bottle.

Don raised his eyebrows at him "And? Is that all you're going to tell me?"

"Well, do you want me to tell you in detail what we talk about? Or what food we eat when we go out?" Mac said mockingly.

"No, but don't you think that it's a bit too little an information to tell me?"

"No. I think it's just enough." He said smiling at him.

Don sighed and shook his head. _Small talk is not going to work with Mac. Maybe I should just go straight to the point._

"Okay, I know that you're the boss of the crime lab and you don't have to explain to us your every decision but I just couldn't ignore what I've been seeing these past few days." Don stared at Mac, watching his facial expression.

Mac frowned "Where is this conversation leading to?"

"Alright, you prefer me to spell it out to you." Don said nodding.

"For the past few days, WE, and I repeat, WE noticed that you and Jo seldom talk to each other. If it were not because of test results, reports, updates, you won't talk to each other at all. You don't seem to look at each other either. Even when both of you were at the same room, you talk about the case, the details, but you never look at each other. You seem to be 'avoiding' each other. What is going on between you two? You used to have a very light, very fun camaraderie. What changed?" Don asked his boss, furrowing his brows.

Mac sat there, shocked of what Don had just said. All the while, he thought Don was going to pry on his relationship with Christine, but he never expected for the conversation to be about his relationship with Jo.

"Mac?" Don prodded.

"You just have an overactive imagination Don. Nothing's wrong."

"Yeah? That huh? You see, I just told you that WE, meaning me, Sheldon, Lindsay, Danny, and even Adam had noticed the big change between the two of you. It's just not my imagination in question here. You're questioning everybody else's."

"Don, let's not go to that okay. Jo and I are absolutely fine. We just sometimes don't see things eye-to-eye. That's all."

"Come on, man. Give me some credit here. I may not be an investigator but I am not blind." Don hesitated, thought of which card to play, before continuing "I know I may not be able to walk out of here in one piece with what I'm going to say." Don paused again gathering his courage "At the crime scene. Serena Aniston's case. At the alley." Don stopped to look at Mac in the eye.

Mac's heart started pounding hardly against his chest. _He did saw something._ But he kept a poker face.

Don sighed when he realized Mac will not give him the easy way. "I saw you glancing at Jo."

Mac kept still. He was not yet ready to let down his defenses.

"Mac, you were stealing glances at her. In my book, it's not normal for a man to steal glances at a woman who he works with every day, without any reason."

"What are you implying here, Don?" Mac said, trying to intimidate him to stop.

"How do you feel about Jo?" Don asked him, much to his shock. Mac didn't realize Don would be so bold to him right now.

"Well, she's a good detective. She's smart and very thorough." Mac said trying to make Don let up. He then realized that beads of sweat were already forming on his forehead.

But Don won't back down. _Go for the kill_ Don thought.

"Are you in love with Jo?"

Mac stared at him, eyes wide, and mouth open. He did not see it coming.

"What?" was what Mac could only mutter.

"Mac, with Jo around, you're happier, you smile a lot, you laugh heartily, you go out more, you… you live more. I don't know if you had noticed but it's as if she breathed a new life in you."

Mac couldn't believe what he had just heard. He never thought of things that way. But he liked the sound of it.

"Mac, do you also love Jo?" Don refused pass the opportunity to ask him this.

Mac could only raise his eyebrows at Don.

"What?" he forced himself to ask Don.

"Well, we already know that Jo loves you, you're the only one in question here." Don said a matter-of-factly.

"She what?" Mac stared at Don, his heart almost leaping from his chest.

"What you mean 'what'? Don't tell me you didn't notice?"

When Mac didn't respond, Don shook his head at him.

"Mac, she takes care of you, I mean, yes she takes care of everybody, but most especially you. She supports you, she talks highly of you, her eyes light up a bit brighter when she sees you, she glows when she talks to you, she…" Don trailed off when his mind wandered to that awful day.

Mac saw the shift in Don's demeanor. "Don?" he said quietly.

Don swallowed the thoughts away.

"That day, when you were shot. She was devastated. She couldn't be placated."

Mac sat up, and listened intently. Nobody had talked to him about what the team had gone through that day. He was just told that Jo took over and ordered for the immediate capture of the woman who shot him and his team did not fail him, but that was all that he knew about that faithful day.

"While you were in the O.R., she would ask the nurses around, Hell, ask is not even the right word to describe it. She would beg the nurses, the doctors, to tell her something. Anything, about your condition. She cried beside me in the car, while I drove from the lab to the hospital. All the way through, she sat there and cried her eyes out. When we arrived at the hospital, I haven't stopped the car yet when she leapt out and ran inside. When I've had finally followed her in, she was already beside herself, crying while begging the nurses for any information about you."

Don paused to gather himself. That image of Jo was something he could never forget for the rest of his life.

"I stood there watching her, and thought 'how could a woman so strong, so brave, so stable, so sure of herself, be reduced to how she was now?'. Then we saw you. They were rushing you to the OR. You were semi-conscious and so pale. She ran towards you but was held off. She asked the nurse again for any information, even the tiniest bit of information that they could give her. When nobody would tell her anything, she run up to me and cling into me for dear life. That was the very first time I saw someone so strong, crumple into a heap. And it broke my heart. And when she was finally exhausted from all that crying, she just sat there staring into space, whispering your name and offering prayers after prayers." Don sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes with his fist.

"When you were finally out of the OR and the doctor declared you to be out of any danger, she slumped back into a chair and shut her eyes. Tears started pouring again as she offered yet another prayer, but this time, of thanks for saving you. That was when she finally agreed to go home, when Christine promised her that you will not be waking up to an empty hospital room." Don finished, taking a big gulp of his now-warm beer.

Mac was speechless. He had never imagined that kind of reaction from Jo. He knew she would worry about him but not as what Don had just told him.

He ran his hand through his hair and shut his eyes. He saw Jo's warm hazel eyes with tears streaming from them. He conjured up an image of Jo, hysterical, slumped in a chair, eyes blank, whispering his name, helpless. He shook his head and opened his eyes. _I've caused you too much pain Jo, but you still wouldn't hold anything against me._

"Mac, are you alright?" Don's voice shook him away from his thoughts.

"Yeah." Mac said, still trying to wrap his mind around all of the revelations Don had said.

Mac sensed Don's hesitation and wondered if there was anything more that he should know.

"Don, what is it?" Mac looked at his bothered friend.

Don sighed heavily. He leaned back on his chair, weighing if he should say what he wanted to tell Mac.

"Don. Please. I'd like to know. Don't keep me in the shade. Not now, not after everything you've just said."

Don looked at Mac before sitting up again.

"At the hospital, the nurse asked Jo to fill up your Admittance Form. She didn't know your middle name and she was just helpless. Christine told her your middle name-… " Mac cut him off.

"Christine was there the whole time?" Mac said frowning, thinking hard.

"Yeah, I mean when we arrived, Jo asked me to call Christine over. She came just before Jo fill up the form and stayed even after we left. Why?" Don asked confused.

"She did not say anything to me. I asked her about all of you and when I asked about Jo, she did not say anything about the crying, the devastation… nothing. She just said that Jo ordered to capture my shooter and stayed behind until I was cleared from danger before going home."

"If I were her, I might not tell you, also." Don said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Mac looked at him, sensing that there's something more to his answer.

"That's what I was about to tell you. After telling Jo your middle name, Jo just, lost control of herself. Maybe because of exhaustion, confusion… She was like a broken dam. She just flowed, and flowed, and flowed. While she was giving Christine some kind of a pep talk to the effect that you're too good of a man to pass up, right in the middle of the chaotic hospital scene, she said it." Don nodded as if it should be obvious to Mac what he was talking about.

"Said what?" Mac looked at him quizzically, obviously not understanding what Don was referring to.

"That she loves you… she said she just can't help it." Don said looking earnestly at Mac.

Mac was way beyond stunned at this moment. He looked hard at Don, wondering if maybe he was playing him. But all he saw was sincerity and truthfulness, and… sympathy?

"She loves you man. And yet, when you were cleared by the doctors, she willingly gave up her role to you and just let Christine take over."

_God, what have I done to her? _Mac thought grimly. His heart ached for her. He was too busy guarding his own heart, protecting his own feelings from being hurt, without even noticing that he had been trampling with Jo's heart, hurting her feelings.

When he dismissed her concern the first time she asked him about his condition in his office, she went to Christine, willingly gave up again her 'right' as the second in command and his partner, to help him. She went to Christine, told her to look after him, because he wouldn't give her the chance to take care of him, and help him, herself.

But when he told her off that night, she knew that he already knew about the talk that she had had with Christine. And him rejecting her once again, left her with no other choice because what more could she do when after rejecting her personally, he also rejected the only way she had left to help him. She understood that Christine is her only bridge to him. She used that bridge to get to him on the other side, and hoped that it could entice him to walk his way to this side. If he had managed to accept that the bridge would help him cross to the other side of wellness, the bridge could have gotten all the credits.

His mind was reeling with all of these revelations. Now that he already knew about these things, it didn't help ease his burden. In fact he felt like it weighed down on him more.

Don, who was watching him as he absorbs all the information that he revealed, broke the silence first.

"Mac. Care to share what's running in your mind?"

Don's voice waked him from his deep thoughts.

"I don't know what to think about. This is just too much information."

"I understand that. But maybe I could help if you would answer my next question truthfully." Don offered, looking intently at Mac.

"Which is?"

"Do you also love Jo?"

Mac was silent. The thought had crossed his mind a couple of times these past few days but he had never crossed that border. He was not even sure if now is the time to cross it.

When Mac did not answer his question, Don opted not to force him. He signaled for the bill before speaking up again.

"Let's go Mac. Too many things had happened for one day. Take a rest. It'll help clear your mind."

Mac stood up after they paid their bill and they went their separate ways.

His mind was working triple time due to information overload but Don's voice kept on interrupting his trail of thoughts.

Do I love Jo?


	9. Chapter 9

_**I'd like to say thanks again to all of you who follows this story and for all the reviews, and love your sending my way. Thank you so much!**_

_**From Chapter 8**_

_When Mac did not answer his question, Don opted not to force him. He signaled for the bill before speaking up again._

"_Let's go Mac. Too many things had happened for one day. Take a rest. It'll help clear your mind."_

_Mac stood up after they paid their bill and they went their separate ways._

_His mind was working triple time due to information overload but Don's voice kept on interrupting his trail of thoughts._

_Do I love Jo?_

**Chapter 9**

-Mac's Apartment –

Mac lay on his bed, his mind troubled.

He had just gotten out of the shower when his phone rang. When he saw it was Christine calling him, he did not answer it and just let it rang until it stopped. He was still unsure of what to feel about her, and what she'd done. He knew she did not lie to him, but she did not tell the whole truth either. It would have been okay if he did not ask her about Jo. The thing is, he did; and yet she chose not to tell him everything.

On the way home, his mind kept flashing images upon images of a helpless Jo, sitting in a corner of the hospital waiting room. He ached to hold her, to tell her not to worry about him, to comfort her, to soothe her. But he was not there for her. He couldn't be there for her.

'_Do you also love Jo?'_ Don's voice kept on echoing the same question over and over in his head.

These past few days, her ignoring him as if he didn't exist had brought too much pain in his heart. He couldn't complain to her, though, because he knew that her behavior towards him changed because that was what he pushed her to do.

For the past few days, he watched her as she carefully chose her words when she's talking to him, carefully navigated her way around him, all smiles and laughter eliminated. All of her defenses were up whenever he's around her and only when he left that she let her guard down.

It pained him to know that she felt vulnerable against him, for her to be like that. Gone were the days where she was so relaxed, and carefree around him. And Don was right; they seldom looked at each other now. He couldn't forget that time at the diner. _God, at the diner._ He could still feel the frustration that he felt that night when he kept on trying to catch her eyes but she wouldn't budge. She literally ignored him as if he was invisible, just mere air that was there but she couldn't see. And her smiles; they didn't reach her eyes anymore. Her laughter sounded hollow. Her demeanor, like a defeated warrior's.

Aware that he was about to cross the border, he steeled himself. He knew that once he had acknowledged that strong feeling, there would be no turning back. And he just wanted to be sure so that he wouldn't hurt anybody, especially Jo. Hurting her again was definitely out of the question. He would do everything in his power to protect her from getting hurt again. He had hurt her enough and he wouldn't want him to be the cause of her pain again, ever.

Instead, he would love to hear her child-like squeal again. He would love to hear her chatter again. He would love to see her eyes light up like Christmas lights again. He would love to see her smile reach up her eyes again. He would love to hear her admonishing tone again telling him to go home and rest. He would love her to start teasing him again, and maybe a little bit of flirting too.

Mac smiled at that last thought.

He would love her to go back to being the Jo that he knew from that day she introduced herself beside a dead body. He would love her to be the Jo that he came to lo-…

But what about Christine? She stayed with him for the last six months as he recuperates. She basically forgot about her own life just to be with him. It wouldn't be fair to her if he breaks up with her, only to start a relationship with Jo. _All the more that you should tell her! If you don't tell her the truth, it wouldn't be fair to her, to Jo, and to you._

Mac frowned at all the thoughts that had been swarming in his head.

But thinking about Jo made him all warm and fuzzy inside, just like… Home.

He thought of all the times that she made him laugh. He thought of all the times that she made him smile at the most mundane of things. It was like being a child again. During those times, she gave him the chance to experience once again the carefree, worry-free state of mind only an innocent child could have.

He remembered the movie night, the video game play off, the burlesque club, the cheerleading stint, the request for him to accompany her to the parking garage, and the Black Friday night.

He smiled at all of those memories. His insides were melting with all the good memories he had shared with her, in just a span of two years. _Maybe Don was right. Jo breathed a new life in me._

Then suddenly another memory popped into his mind that made him grin like a fool yet, again.

_Mac Taylor, I adore you._

He could still remember how he felt so mushy inside when she told him that. He didn't know how to react or what to say so the geek in him just offered her a box of tissue when she started to tear up.

Mac suddenly shot up from his bed. _Why didn't I take notice of it that time? She already had practically confessed her feelings to me!_

He recalled again her adorable face while she blabber on, assembling some food on the table, and tears pooling in her eyes.

Mac sighed at that memory.

_God, I do love her._

How could I be so stupid not to notice my own feelings for her?! _No, you're not stupid, just a little dense, is all. _He rolled his eyes at himself, before falling back to his pillow.

Mac spent the rest of the night feeling giddy like a teenager, and when he finally fell asleep a little before two in the morning; it was a peaceful and dreamless sleep.

-Crime Lab-

Mac walked over to the pantry to get himself a bottle of water. He was only a couple of steps away from the pantry door when she heard Lindsay's high-pitched squeal.

"That's so sweet, Jo! Do you think Russ is sincere in what he's doing?"

Mac stopped on his tracks. _Russ? First the burger, then the flowers. Now what?! _He closed the distance between him and the door and saw Jo and Lindsay standing side by side, their backs to him.

"Oh, he's sincere, alright. But we're already done. I just agreed to have dinner with him because of Ellie and Tyler. I wouldn't, for the life of me, have had imagined that he had arranged a separate VIP room for just the two of us, leaving Ellie and Tyler at the main dining area. And by the time it had dawned on me, it's already too late and I didn't want to cause a scene."

"But you loved it?"

Jo hesitated a little before sighing.

"Well, at first, I was really annoyed. When we walked into the VIP room, I saw a big bouquet of roses with a lone teddy bear in the middle. When he handed it to me, I suddenly remembered that it was the exact same thing that he gave me on our very first date, all those years ago. I thought he was manipulating me but when I looked into his eyes, I saw hopefulness and nervousness. It was then that I realized that he already knew how I might react, thus the nervousness. But at the same time, he was also hoping that I would mellow down when I remember its significance."

Jo paused for breath before continuing

"So I decided to let it go. And the night had proved to be a good decision on my part. It was the first time since the divorce that we had talked that much, that sincere, with no pretentions, no worries. You know, the kind of talk long-lost best friends do after years of not seeing each other?"

"Like the very first date?" Lindsay asked Jo.

"Hmmm.. much better. Because now, we've both matured. And we already knew how to carry a mature conversation." Jo smiled.

Mac felt his heart breaking. He knew that, if Jo's actions the last time Russ was here were to be based on, there won't be any chance of them getting back together. But right now, standing here and hearing all of those things made him doubt for a moment. But he knew that he had to fight for this one. He also knew that he wanted to fight hard for her.

Lindsay saw him first. She took one look at his stern face and hastily excused herself. She didn't know what's happening between him and Jo but she knew that giving them a chance to talk whenever possible might be good for them.

Jo was surprised when Lindsay scurried out of the pantry but immediately understood why when she finally turned her head and saw him standing in the doorway. She nodded her courtesy at him and was about to pick up her mug and leave the pantry when he suddenly spoke up.

"I got thirsty reading budget reports." He said quickly to stop her from leaving, looking at her.

Jo just merely smiled and nodded at him, before taking two steps toward the door.

"I'd prefer to have some… uhh…" Jo saw the now becoming familiar, crease on his forehead whenever he's lost for words.

"…uhhh…"

Jo's heart shattered at the sight of this used-to-be very articulate man in front of her struggle so hard just to get a single word out of his mouth.

His frown went deeper for a moment, then, as if all life had been drained from him, he dropped his eyes to the floor. And with a look of resignation all over his face, he just said

"But... I gave it up about two years now so I'll make do with water instead." He looked up at her again with frustration in his eyes, before walking past her to get a bottle of water from the fridge.

Jo now understood what he was trying so hard to say and said

"Water is better than coffee."

He turned to face her again, now with a grateful little smile on his face.

She returned a smile of her own before turning to leave.

"Jo?" he called after her.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." He looked at her sincerely.

"You're welcome." She said with a small smile.

* * *

Mac just got off the phone when his mobile rang.

"Taylor" he said even though he knew who was calling.

"Hey Mac, are you free for lunch today?" said Christine on the other end of the line

"No, I'm sorry. Too many paperwork." He told her a little bit sternly.

Just then, an idea came to mind

"How about dinner instead? My place, 8PM." he retracted, but in a formal tone.

"Okay then. See you later. I love you." Christine said, a little uncertainty in her voice.

"Okay. Bye." he couldn't even bring himself to say 'I love you' back to her.

Mac knew what to be done. But he had no idea how to do it. He just thought that however this turned out, the night should not end without him doing what he ought to do.

* * *

It was already 7:30PM when Sheldon, Danny, Lindsay, and Jo, all went to his office to say their good nights to him. He had noticed that Jo had never walked into his office alone since he reprimanded her that night. She would always join other members of the team whenever they would stop by his office before going home.

Noticing the time, he sighed a frustrated sigh before turning off his computer. _It's time_ he thought grimly. He quickly stood up, got his coat and turned off the lights before closing the door to his office. He jogged his way to the elevator and stopped beside Jo, as they all wait for the elevator to come up.

"Going home this early?" Danny mocked him.

"Yes, I'm going home this early." He answered him with a smile.

"You have a date, no?" Sheldon asked, eyes twinkling.

Conscious that he was standing beside Jo, he hesitated before answering.

"Uhh… I'm meeting with Christine." he chose to say instead.

Lindsay frowned at what she heard but did not say anything. She looked at Jo to see if she had also noticed but she was too busy with her phone.

"Nice. Going strong, huh?" Danny said with a sly smile.

Mac just smiled at him without answering.

The elevator finally announced its arrival, much to Mac's relief.

As always, Danny went in first to hold the doors open, then Lindsay followed, positioning herself behind her husband, while Sheldon took the other side opposite Danny. Mac stepped forward and held his hand against the door, while his other hand hover over the small of Jo's back. He was not touching her, but she could feel his hand hovering behind her.

Jo went in and stood behind Sheldon, leaving the center space for Mac. Mac took his spot and stood at the center, right beside Jo. Danny finally released the button, letting the elevator closed its door.


	10. Chapter 10

_**From Chapter 9**_

"_Uhh… I'm meeting with Christine." he chose to say instead._

_The elevator finally announced its arrival, much to Mac's relief. _

_As always, Danny went in first to hold the doors open, then Lindsay followed, positioning herself behind her husband, while Sheldon took the other side opposite Danny. Mac stepped forward and held his hand against the door, while his other hand hover over the small of Jo's back. He was not touching her, but she could feel his hand hovering behind her._

_Jo went in and stood behind Sheldon, leaving the center space for Mac. Mac took his spot and stood at the center, right beside Jo. Danny finally released the button, letting the elevator closed its door._

**Chapter 10**

-Mac's apartment-

Mac opened the door and let Christine in his apartment.

He froze again when she lightly kissed his lips upon closing the door.

"Mac, are you alright?" Christine said, looking at him worriedly.

"Yes. I'm okay. Take a seat. Dinner will be in a short while." He said, walking away from her a little too quickly.

"Are you done? Can I help?" She said as she placed her purse on the couch.

"Actually…" he was interrupted with a knock on the door.

Mac went to open the door and came back to the couch bearing a big box of pizza.

Christine stared at the box of pizza.

"As I was saying, I didn't have time to prepare anything so I just ordered pizza for dinner." Mac looked at her with a small smile.

"Oh… You could have told me. I could have brought something from the restaurant."

Mac's face fell.

"I didn't want to bother you. I just thought that ordering in is faster than making dinner from scratch. Don't you eat pizza?"

"Since college. Too greasy for my liking." She said a little disappointedly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay. Let's not make a big fuss out of it." Christine said, smiling now.

An hour later, two glasses of red wine each, and half of the pizza later, they were lounging around the coffee table when Mac decided to proceed to his goal for tonight.

Mac cleared his throat before speaking

"Christine, there's this thing that's been bothering me and I think you could help" he started

"Tell me. What is it?" Christine said, while swirling the wine in her goblet, her third one now.

"What happened at the hospital?" Mac asked her, looking her straight in the eye.

"Hospital?" Christine said, confused.

"The day I was shot. What happened at the hospital? Who were there? What's the whole scenario?" Mac elaborated, still looking at her.

Christine frowned.

"I think I told you a number of times already. What's this about again?" Christine looked at him questioningly.

"Don had told me something about that day but it was not that clear to me so I figured out that I should ask you instead." Mac said, trying to play his cards right.

"Well, Don called me up, told me what happened. Then when I got there, you were still in the OR. I stayed there until you were transferred to the recovery room, then after waiting the longest wait of my life, you opened your eyes and held my hand." Christine said, smiling at that last part of her narration.

"During the time that they were operating on me, who… who were with you?"

Mac saw irritation flashed through Christine's face.

"Well, Don was there and Jo was also there. Jo was the one in-charge so she ordered the immediate capture of the person who shot you. So basically, your whole team just went there for a while, ask after you, and then they had to go back to search for your shooter. Mac, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"I told you, Don told me something about that day but it was not clear to me. I just wanted to know the whole story." Mac said, looking at Christine intently, silently wishing for her to take this chance to tell him the whole truth.

"I see. Well, I don't know what he told you. But basically, that's the scenario."

Mac was disappointed. He let the silence fill the room, analyzing his next move when Christine looked up at him.

"How are you?"

Mac raised his eyebrows at her, a little bit startled.

"I'm good." Mac said nodding.

"What about the problem that you're having?" She thought Mac's questioning about what happened at the hospital is his way to open up to her about his real situation.

Mac looked at her quizzically, not sure what she was referring to.

"The one Jo was talking about."

He shook his head. "I'm fine."

"But Jo said…"

"I'm fine, really." Mac interrupted.

Christine sighed, feeling her anger and frustration rise to the surface.

"I really hope you'd stop doing this to me." Christine said rising to her feet

"Doing what to you?" Mac said, also standing up.

"This! Stop discrediting me Mac. I have the right to know." She said, voice becoming a little louder now.

"Discrediting? Nobody's discrediting you Christine." Mac said, controlling his voice and emotion.

"Really? Is that the story you're going to stick with?" Christine challenged him, tears filling up her eyes.

"Okay, let's just stop talking about this now." he said guiltily.

"Why, Mac? Is it because I'm getting too close to the truth?"

"Truth? What truth?" Mac said aghast.

"That you are not as okay as you wanted me to believe. That Jo was right."

"Did she told you what she thought was wrong with me?" Mac said, his own anger rising now.

"That's why she went to me. Because she's not sure. And I did not even notice anything."

"Then maybe there really was nothing wrong. Did you even think about that?"

"Tell me that there's nothing wrong, Mac. Look into my eyes and tell me there's nothing wrong and I would believe you. And this would be the last time that you'd hear about this from me." Christine said, looking pleadingly at Mac, tears falling.

Mac hesitated before looking into her eyes.

He opened his mouth to say that nothing's wrong. But he couldn't lie to her. He did not want to lie to her.

"There is… something wrong…" Mac said looking at her, his eyes sad and bothered.

"Then tell me what's wrong." Christine said in a small voice, almost a whisper.

Mac sighed.

"I can't."

Christine frowned at him.

"Why can't you? Please tell me, Mac. I'd like to help you." Christine held his hand in hers. "Please?"

"I'd like to. But I couldn't bring myself to say it out in the open, because then it would be too real. At least, not now. I'm so sorry, Christine." Mac looked at her dejectedly.

Christine sighed angrily. She let go of his hand and walked away from him, before facing him again.

"You know, Mac, the most endearing thing about you is your pride. But it's also your weakness."

Mac felt all of his blood rise to his face.

"Wait a minute. That's not fair. I have my reasons why I couldn't tell you, Christine. Why can't you understand that? Do you know how hard this is for me? Do you know how difficult it is for me even to just acknowledge that I have this kind of problem?" Mac paused, stunned of his own sudden outburst.

"Why couldn't you just offer me your support without asking me any questions? Why couldn't you just let me decide on my own of when and how I would tell you about this, instead of barging in my office and giving me some kind of a test just to prove your point?" Mac flared up at the memory of what Christine did that day.

"You didn't have to do that. Who knows? Maybe I could have told you if you had asked me about it. But no, you chose to humiliate me right there, in my own lab. Why couldn't you be a little considerate of my feelings? You wanted to know what's going on with me, fine. But you did not ask me, Christine, you demanded an answer from me. Why couldn't you be careful and sensitive of my situation like J…" Mac stopped himself abruptly.

"Like who, Mac?"

"Like who? Like Jo?" Christine said almost shouting now, angry tears staining her cheeks.

Mac was stunned a moment.

"I'm sorry Christine" Mac said, his voice low. "I was out of bounds. I didn't mean to…"

"No. Tell me. I want to know. Was it Jo you're about to say? Huh? Was it her?" Christine said, shouting now.

When Mac did not respond, she continued

"Well, I'm sorry Mac! But I'm not her! She's always with you. She's smart, perceptive… She's a detective, for God's sake! She knew how to handle people. I could never measure up to her, Mac!"

Christine paused to catch her breath.

"I did not say that." Mac's own voice a little louder now.

"Well, I'm saying it. Because it's the truth. But I tried to be like her. I may be wrong in barging at the lab like that and 'humiliating' you. I admit I got carried away because it was she who found out about it and not me. How do you think it made me feel?"

"So whose pride is whose weakness now?" Mac said defiantly.

"I admit I am threatened by Jo. Since that day at the hospital. I saw it Mac. I saw how much you mean to her. I saw how her world crashed upon her after Sheldon told them about your internal bleeding. She wouldn't budge Mac. She kept vigil, waited until you were safe. If I didn't promise her that you wouldn't be waking up alone, she would have stayed there with you. And almost every day, she would go there, just to take a peek at you, to make sure your heart's beating normally, and I just, feel threatened by her love for you, day by day…" Christine trailed off when she realized what had she just said.

Mac's face was red with rage now.

"What did you just say? Jo was there almost every day?" Mac asked her through gritted teeth.

Christine looked down, not wanting to meet his angry gaze.

"What were you thinking, Christine? I would always ask you whether any of the team had visited me while I was asleep. Remember? You would always tell me that some of them just dropped off flowers, and fruits, and whatnots. But you never told me about Jo being there almost every day! You never told me!" Mac was shouting now, couldn't believe that Christine would fool him like that.

"I told you it was unlikely for them, especially for Jo, not to show up at the hospital, no matter how busy the lab was. I told you how stubborn she could be that she would sneak in even beyond the visiting hours had she wanted to. I told you that, remember? But you chose to stay silent. You chose to fool me! What do you take me for?" Mac was beside himself now.

"You played dumb with me! You made me look like a fool! I asked you a number of times about the whole team, Christine. Not only Jo. You were given so many chances to tell the truth, to redeem yourself. But you did not take those chances. By the looks of it, you didn't even have any plans of telling me if not for that angry burst that had just happened." Mac clutched at his head, anger and disgust in his voice.

"First you humiliated me, then you lied to me, you manipulated me. Damn it Christine, you played me like a spinning top! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Christine did not dare defend herself. She knew that Mac would one day find out about everything, but she did not expect it to be this soon. She planned to tell him herself about all the things that she kept from him but she had wanted to do it when she was already prepared to face the consequences.

"I'm so sorry Mac. I'm really, really sorry." Christine said crying, still unable to look Mac in the eye.

"What happened to you, Christine? You let your emotion take charge of you. You got eaten alive by your emotion, and you let it, without fighting."

Mac's voice had toned down now. He was still angry at what she did but he also pity her for what she had become.

"You know what, you be happy with Jo. She loves you so much, Mac. And truth be told, I've always known that you love her too. Maybe that's also why I was so threatened by her. Because I knew that you both belong together. That it was just a matter of time before both of you, most especially you, acknowledge that fact. I'm really sorry, Mac. I know it won't be anytime soon, but I hope that someday, you'd forgive me for everything that I'd done."

Christine hugged him tight before brushing her lips against his cheek.

"Take care" she whispered, before letting herself out the door.

Mac fell back down to the couch as if all of his energy was drained from his body. He had never expected that the night would end this way. He had already planned on breaking up with Christine tonight but never, for the life of him, could he had imagined the ugliness that came with it.

He rubbed his eyes and sighed. _What have I done to deserve this?_


	11. Chapter 11

_**From Chapter 10**_

_Christine hugged him tight before brushing her lips against his cheek._

"_Take care" she whispered, before letting herself out the door._

_Mac fell back down to the couch as if all of his energy was drained from his body. He had never expected that the night would end this way. He had already planned on breaking up with Christine tonight but never, for the life of him, could he had imagined the ugliness that came with it._

_He rubbed his eyes and sighed. What have I done to deserve this?_

**Chapter 11**

**-**Crime Scene-

"Sophie Maine. Thirty-two years old. Freelance stylist for magazine photo shoots. Neighbors say they saw her leave the apartment last night but didn't saw her come back until this morning when that guy over there was about to walk his dog when he saw her here." Don recited from his notes.

"Two shots through the chest; one through the heart, killing her instantly." Mac said, squatting over the body that's lying in the hallway.

"Blunt force trauma to the head; looks like the perp used this camera to attack her." Jo added, carefully lifting up the DSLR, inspecting it.

"Judging from the chaos of her apartment, it may be robbery gone wrong." Lindsay said while picking her way through toppled chairs, slashed cushions, and broken glass.

-Crime Lab-

After almost two hours of processing the crime scene, they went back to the lab and started processing the evidences they had found.

"Mac, all fingerprints found at the scene belonged to our vic, Sophie. No other prints were found. Looks like the perp used some kind of a glove so as not to leave any of his prints behind." Lindsay said upon entering Mac's office.

"Leather gloves to be exact." Jo announced, hearing what Lindsay had just told Mac. "Fiber I found wedged into the camera's SD slot." Jo added, handing the result to Mac.

Mac studied the tablet where the results were downloaded that Jo handed to him.

He was still looking at it when his office phone rang.

"Mac Taylor"

Mac hesitated a moment.

"Who was it again?" Mac said frowning on the phone.

"Put him through." he said, before handing the phone to Jo.

"Agent Russ Josephson." He said simply to her.

"Danville"

"Oh, don't get your hopes up. I just wanted to tell you that you left your phone this morning at my place so you better come to the crime lab and get it." she said, while Lindsay's eyes widened at her.

Mac was looking intently now at the pictures of the crime scene that were strewn all over his desk. His eyes were fixed on the pictures, but his ears were focused on Jo's conversation with Russ. _He stayed over at Jo's? Why?_ He thought grimly.

"And why would I do that? It's not my thing to snoop around other people's phone. I never did that when we were married, why would I do it now?" Jo said eyebrows raised.

"Oh, stop it. Just come down here to get your phone. I'm now going back to work." She hanged up, rolling her eyes as she did.

"Russ slept over at your place last night?" Lindsay exclaimed, wide smile on her face.

Jo looked at her without answering before looking at Mac's stern face, then back again at her.

Lindsay got what she meant and cleared her throat.

"Mac, I'll just go to Adam to see if he'd gotten anything from the building's CCTV." Lindsay turned to leave his office.

"And I'll go see if Danny had found a match with the bullets from our Vic." Jo said also turning to leave.

Mac merely nodded, eyes glued to the photos, frowning hard. _ What the hell was he doing sleeping at Jo's?_ He clenched his jaw, before looking outside his fishbowl of an office, in time to see Lindsay gushing at whatever Jo had just said to her. _Damn it! What's there to gush about? Russ?_ Mac glared at them.

"Hey Mac!" Don rushed in to Mac's office and stopped suddenly when he saw Mac's face. "What happened?" Don said crinkling his forehead.

Mac pushed Jo-thoughts away and shook his head at Don.

"Nothing. Any developments?"

Don cocked his head at him before answering.

"I've talked to some of the models Sophie had worked with and a few of them noticed that sometimes Sophie would be agitated with someone she was talking to on the phone over the last two weeks. Sometimes, after seeing the caller ID, she would curse under breath before turning off her phone, not answering the call."

"I'll tell Adam to trace her calls, get the name of the person calling her." Mac said rising up to find Adam, leaving a confused Don in his wake.

* * *

Half an hour later, Mac heard the elevator stopped at their floor. Moments later, he heard the familiar sound of biker's boots against cold stone floor, and looked up. Jo passed by his office, mobile phone in hand, approaching a smiling Russ.

Mac scowled, then turned his attention back to the case files.

Few minutes had passed and he still hadn't heard biker's boots thumping its way back to the lab. He shifted in his seat, and leaned back on his chair, pulling the file he's reading up with him. He shifted the file in such a way that he could read it but at the same time it would shield his face from the people outside his office.

He then risked a glance to where Jo and Russ were standing, just in time to see Russ playfully push the tip of Jo's nose. Jo swatted his hand away and he just chuckled at her.

Mac frowned angrily. _What is this, a school hallway? This is a crime lab, for crying out loud!_

He quickly looked down at his paper-strewn desk when she turned around to go back to her office, while Russ walked over to the elevator.

* * *

Mac was about to leave his office when he saw Jo walking towards him, file in hand.

"Mac, we matched the bullets from our Vic to a gun that was registered in Cambodia but was reported missing five years… a-go…" Jo's voice trailed off, causing Mac to look at her.

She was glaring at something behind him and as he was about to follow her glare,

"Ex-husband, what now? You left something again?"

Mac swiftly turned around to see Russ walking towards them, his face serious.

"I wish Jo, but no. I got a call from the Bureau. You have a case involving Sophie Maine?"

Jo looked at Mac, before looking back at Russ.

-Conference Room-

Jo sat opposite Mac at the conference table. Don sat beside Mac, and Russ sat opposite him, beside Jo. Danny was standing in the far corner with Sheldon, and Lindsay sat on the other side of Jo.

"We've been following Sophie Maine for almost two years now." Russ began. "Her boyfriend then was Jeremy Langton. He was suspected to be part of a jewelry store robbery in California almost two and a half years ago, but it was never proven. No evidence that would place him in that store when the robbery happened and nobody would talk. So we let him go. Two days after, he vanished into thin air." Russ paused. He reached for Jo's mug of tea and looked at her as if asking for her permission to drink from it, to which Jo nodded her consent.

Upon seeing this, Don subtly glanced at Mac, wanting to gauge his reaction but was disappointed to see a poker face. Little did he know that Mac was seething with anger of what he was witnessing.

After sipping a couple mouthfuls from Jo's tea, Russ continued to brief the CSIs.

"Three months ago, a man kept on visiting Sophie in her flat. His built was the same as Jeremy's but different face. We were thinking that maybe he got some of the jewelries, especially those diamonds, kept somewhere, and used some of it for plastic surgery. We wanted to wait around, see if he might lead us to where he kept the jewelries all these years, but this morning's news broke out so we are changing tactics. We heard Sophie's place was ransacked?" Russ asked, reaching for Jo's mug again as she put it back down the table after taking a sip herself.

Mac stood up and walked to the back of the conference room where he reached down in a shelf while answering Russ.

"Yes. The killer was looking for something in particular since he did not take any of her credit cards, or the money in her wallet, mobile phone, not even the amount of money she stashed in her closet, which is amounting close to twenty grand." Mac said, putting down a bottle of water in front of Russ, before going back to his seat with his own bottle.

Don bit back a smile when he realized what Mac had just done. He took a look around the conference room and saw that nobody seemed to notice what just happened, except for Russ. He was now wearing an amused expression on his face while looking at the bottled water. Don sensed the irritation emanating from his seatmate.

"We were thinking that maybe he had given something, maybe even some of those jewelries to Sophie. As a gift, or for safekeeping, we had no idea; but there's a big possibility that whatever it was, he hadn't gotten it yet."

"What made you think that?" Don asked.

"Because as we speak, that man's inside Sophie's flat, carefully poking on things, still trying to locate something."

"What? So what are we still doing here, talking?" Lindsay exclaimed.

"Because this is a part of the new tactic. We have decided to let you do your thing, while we take the back seat. Our goal is to locate the remaining jewelries so we would only watch him until he leads us to the gold pot."

"So we're going to work with you?"' Jo asked her ex-husband.

Russ smiled at her.

"Yes. You're going to work with me."

Mac cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself.

"So you mean to say, we find what we could then report to you if we find anything?"

"Basically, Detective, yes." Russ said nodding.

"Okay then, let's find damning evidence against this son of a bitch." Mac said, standing up.

All four of them stood up as well, preparing to leave the conference room.

Mac offered his hand to Russ.

"We'll call you as soon as we made some progress, Agent Russ." Mac said.

Russ shook Mac's hand.

"Actually, there's no need for that, except if it's urgent, that is."

Russ looked at Mac's confused look and explained

"I'd come here once a day, every day until we'd closed the case"

"What? Why?" Jo asked surprised, while Mac was rooted to the spot.

"Direct order. We have to work closely with you," Russ said, emphasizing the word 'closely'. "And also to release some more first-hand information shall the need arise." Russ added, smiling sweetly at her.

Jo glared at him before shaking her head, following Danny out of the conference room.

* * *

Mac slumped back on his chair, his head throbbing with pain.

His day just kept on getting worse by the hour. It was bad enough that he got a case with a very careful perp, then he had to work with the FBI, and the worst of it all, Russ would be here with Jo, every single day.

He stood up again and left his office to head for the pantry. He opened the medicine cabinet to look for some aspirin tablets, just as Jo walked in to refill her mug.

"I'm looking for some aspirin? Splitting headache." Mac said to no one in particular.

Guessing that he might be talking to her, as there was no one else with them, she went near him and searched the medicine cabinet for some aspirin for him.

"Here" Jo said turning to Mac, while opening the medicine bottle.

"Two please, Jo." Mac said softly

Jo poured two tabs on his palm before returning the medicine to the cabinet. She then proceeded to pour him a glass of water and held it to him.

Their fingers brushed when he reached for the glass, making his heart beat a little faster.

He swallowed the tablets with water and shut his eyes when he felt the throbbing pain again.

When he opened his eyes, Jo was still standing in front of him, staring at him, with worried eyes. He waited for her to say anything but she did not. Then he remembered why she's just staring at him worriedly, without saying anything. _Damn you, Taylor!_

"I'm okay, just a little tired maybe. Two aspirin tabs are usually all it takes to make my headache go away." He said to her, voice low.

He saw her hesitate a little, before biting her lower lip, maybe to stop herself from saying anything.

She then took the glass from him and proceeded to wash it in the sink.

"Let me do that, Jo. You don't have to do it for me." Mac said standing close beside her.

"It's okay Mac. It's just a glass." Jo said as she finished washing his glass.

"Thank you." Mac said as she went to open another tea bag and put it in her steaming mug.

She smiled at him before leaving the pantry.

_I miss you so much, Jo._


	12. Chapter 12

_**From Chapter 11**_

_She then took the glass from him and proceeded to wash it in the sink._

"_Let me do that, Jo. You don't have to do it for me." Mac said standing close beside her._

"_It's okay Mac. It's just a glass." Jo said as she finished washing his glass._

"_Thank you." Mac said as she went to open another tea bag and put it in her steaming mug._

_She smiled at him before leaving the pantry._

_I miss you so much, Jo. _

**Chapter 12**

"Mac, I found something from Sophie Maine's phone. Over the last two years, I found six international calls that came through her phone. Three of them from Phuket, Thailand. And the other three from Seoul, Korea. I tried to locate the exact location but had only managed to get within 500 miles radius from where the caller was located." Adam reported to Mac, showing him the digital maps on the tablet.

"Thailand and Korea. They were known for their cosmetic surgery procedures." Mac says eyeing the results.

"Yes. In fact, both locations where the calls were made were surrounded by plastic surgery clinics." Adam confirmed.

"Okay, then maybe the Feds were right. Maybe Jeremy Langton got a plastic surgery to change his appearance."

Mac went out of his office to look for Russ to tell him what Adam had found.

He saw Russ sitting at Lindsay's desk, opposite Jo. He groaned inwardly.

"Agent Russ" Mac called out as he entered the office. "We'd traced phone calls from Thailand and Korea that were made to Sophie Maine's phone but couldn't find the exact location." Mac said while passing Adam's tablet to Russ.

"Thailand and Korea? Plastic surgery?" Russ asked, looking at the result.

"That was what I was thinking too."

"Okay, I'll see what we can do to trace the exact location." Russ said while standing up to leave the office to make a phone call.

Mac sensed Jo's eyes on him and he looked at her with a small smile, thinking of what to say to her.

"It's really okay with you if he works in here? He could move to my office instead, you know." Mac asked her, silently wishing that Jo would agree for Russ to move into his office.

Jo shook her head before smiling at him.

"It's okay Mac. We're doing fine."

Mac could only nod at her words, before going back to his office.

* * *

It was already 8PM when Don walked out of the elevator to the crime lab.

"Hey boss!" Don greeted, knocking at Mac's office door before entering.

"Any developments, boss?" Don said, plopping himself down to one of the chairs in front of Mac's desk.

Mac shook his head.

"Adam had traced six international calls made to our Vic's phone but couldn't find the exact location. We only know that they were made from Thailand and Korea, two countries well-known for their plastic surgery procedures."

"How about the FBI? Couldn't they do anything to find the exact location?"

"Russ already made a phone call. We're still waiting for the result."

Don stayed silent for a while. But he just couldn't ignore the itch to ask Mac,

"Mac. At the conference room…" Don hesitated a bit.

Mac looked up at him, waiting for what he would say next.

"hmmm… what were you thinking when you placed that bottled water in front of Russ?" Don asked, his face serious, but a smile slowly crept its way to his face.

Mac frowned at him, "for him to drink?"

"Yeah. I know. But you know that's not what I meant."

Mac sighed.

"Don, after what you told me the other night, I asked Christine about the things that had happened at the hospital. At first, she just gave me a brief summary excluding all the important points. Which reminds me, I wanted to ask you if…" Mac stood up to close his office door, before sitting back down to his chair.

"Had you ever gone to the hospital to visit me? Aside from those times that I was awake, of course."

"Yes. Of course, Mac. During the first two months that we would go there, you were always knocked out by painkillers. And considering that it's already way past the visiting hours by the time we finish work, we ended up just dropping off things and cards, to remind you that we haven't forgotten you." Don finished with a grin.

Mac smiled at him "And I really appreciate those."

Then his face turned serious, before looking back up to Don.

"And, Jo?" he almost whispered.

Don's grin disappeared, gloom taking its place on his face.

"Oh, man!" Don shook his head sullenly at him.

Mac frowned at his response, confused.

"Would you please ask me another question instead?" Don asked Mac, pleadingly.

"Why?"

Don sighed heavily.

"I made a promise to Jo." Don simply said.

"What promise?"

"That I'd never tell you anything." Don said haplessly.

"Okay Don, you'd already told me too much to back out now. We're in this together now. Plus I'm your boss, so you really didn't have a choice." Mac said, trying to make the mood lighter.

Don sighed.

"Jo's going to kill me. Spare my life, man. Come on!"

"Don. Tell me."

"Okay, I'll tell you just because I wanted to help. But please, I beg of you, do not tell her that I told, okay, man? Otherwise, God have mercy on me!" Don exclaimed before clutching at his head.

Mac chuckled at Don's distraught face.

"Okay Don, cut it out. Stop the drama and start talking."

Don sighed heavily yet again.

"I think it had been one month in, and it was a very slow day; all the thugs decided to attend a pool party or something. We decided to go to the hospital, all of us, try to see if you're awake. At the last minute, there's this kid who got left out of the thugs' pool party, decided he wanted some attention…"

"Don." Mac cut him off, raising his eyebrows at him.

"Okay, okay, so we ended up working until around 11PM. I was driving home, when I saw Jo's car parked near the hospital. I knew it was already way past the visiting hours and wondered if it was Jo herself who was seeking medical help or maybe someone in her family. I didn't plan to snoop on her but, well… I ended up going in. Once I'd confirmed that not Jo or anybody from her family was in the ER or was confined, I decided to go up your room." Don paused for breath.

"When I rounded the corner to your room, I saw her walked to the other direction." I tried to follow her but I lost sight of her when she took the elevator and I took the stairs. Curiosity got the best of me and so the next day I went to the hospital again before Jo left the crime lab, and positioned myself away from her possible line of sight. I saw her walked to your room's direction. She stood beside the nurses' station and waited patiently until a nurse opened your door to check your IV fluid. She would then take a peek inside, look at your heart monitor and if she's lucky and Christine was up, she would get invited inside your room, and she would stand beside your bed. If not, she'd just stay there by the nurses' station until the nurse finished checking and closed your door, and then she'd go home." Don recounted for Mac. "Based on what I'd gathered, Jo was there every night after work, and in time for the nurses to check on you. She'd go see you before going home, except when she had to work later, then she'd skip going to the hospital." Don said, looking at Mac.

"What about the promise?"

"After a week of following her and because she's really a good detective, she caught me watching her. After the nurse entered your room, she whipped her head around, eyes piercing at mine. She approached me and I'd had to confess right there at the hospital. She asked me, no, she made me promise her that I would not say a thing to anybody, especially to you. I asked her why, but she wouldn't tell me." Don finished.

"Either she didn't want the credit, or… she didn't want you to know how she feels about you." Don pondered aloud.

Mac nodded his head at Don.

"I asked her last night, Christine I mean. She told me everything. Every single damn thing." Mac shook his head in exasperation. "It's over Don. We're over."

Don's eyes widened.

"Wow, I didn't know what to say. I'd never expected it. Though, I couldn't help but think… was it because of me? Of what I told you?" Don asked guiltily.

"No. I'm thankful that you told me those things. Otherwise I would've had been kept in the shade 'til I don't know when."

Don was silent again.

"Mac," Don hesitated, before "Jo?"

Mac shrugged.

"I don't know Don. You saw how they were in the conference room, right? I don't know if there's anything going on between Russ and her."

Don stared at him.

"You think they're back together? Because what I saw in there earlier was just Russ trying to be cute with Jo. And his face when you placed the bottled water in front of him…?" Don chuckled, remembering Russ's amused expression.

But Mac shook his head at Don.

"Russ slept over at Jo's last night." he said quietly.

"What? How did you know?" Don asked, shocked.

"I heard her this morning asking Russ to get his phone from her because he left it at her place."

"No. No. Maybe you were just reading into it too much." Don said skeptically.

Mac cocked his eyebrow at him.

"Even Lindsay had heard it." Mac said sullenly.

"Well, did she say why Russ stayed over?"

"No. Well, I wouldn't know. She and Lindsay were already in the hall when they started talking about it." Mac said. "Gushing like school girls" he added annoyingly.

A smile crept into Don's face.

"What are you smiling at?" Mac glared at him.

"Well, I could find out the reason why Russ stayed at Jo's, for you, if you want." Don said shrugging his shoulders.

Mac did not respond.

"Silence means yes, right?" Don said grinning at Mac, while standing up.

* * *

Jo was still going through the files on her desk when Don walked in.

"Hey, where's the ex-husband?" Don said mockingly to Jo.

Jo glared at him playfully before smiling at him.

"He left about an hour ago. Why are you looking for him? Anything about the case?"

"Nope. I just thought he's still here waiting for you so you could go home together." Don said winking at her.

"Ughh! I suppose you already heard about him staying over at my place last night?" Jo asked, crossing her arms on her chest.

Don smiled widely at her.

"Sort of"

"Well Tyler's a little heart-broken and he wouldn't talk to me. He asked for his father's companionship instead of his poor momma's. The talking progressed into playing video games well into the night. Then Tyler approached me with this ridiculously cute smile on his face, matched with puppy dog eyes that would always melt my heart, and asked me if I would let Russ sleep over. And what could I do? So I let him sleep on the couch." Jo finished, rolling her eyes.

"I see. For a while there, I thought you're back with him." Don said smiling.

"You're so cute. But no, won't happen." Jo said winking back at Don, to which he blushed a little.

Jo let out a small chuckle, upon seeing him blush.

Don walked out of her office, relieved.

"Mac, what can I say, man?" Don sighed dramatically as he lowered himself at the same chair he sat on earlier. "Tough luck!" he said seriously at Mac.

"What do you mean?" Mac asked him nervously.

"You were right, man." Don shook his head sadly at him.

Mac did not say anything. A slight crease formed in his forehead. He felt his heart constrict in his chest.

"Hey Mac, are you alright?" Don asked when he saw Mac's expression.

Mac nodded at him. _ It's like reliving Claire's loss that day. _

"Mac, relax! Breathe! I'm only joking!" Don said, biting back a laugh.

Mac looked at him as if not grasping what he was saying.

"When I said you were right, I meant you were right about Russ sleeping over at Jo's. But nothing's going on. He just stayed over because Tyler's got his heart broken and he wouldn't talk to Jo. So Russ came over to talk to him and then they played video games well into the night and Tyler asked Jo's permission for Russ to sleep over which Jo said she agreed to because she didn't have the heart to say 'no' to Tyler's ridiculously cute smile with matching puppy dog eyes." Don elaborated, eyes dancing.

When Don's words had finally sunk in, he glared at Don.

"Damn it Don! Do you want me to strangle you to your death right here, right now?" Mac said, relieved at what Don had just revealed.

Don raised both his hands in surrender.

"Sorry Mac, I didn't mean to scare you like that. I'm just playing." Don said, smiling now.

"I thought you were my friend, and then you toy with my feelings? How about I toy with your life, huh?" Mac retorted playfully.

Don looked at him grinning like a fool.

"Does this mean that you're finally admitting that you love her too?" Don asked him, wiggling his eyebrows at him.

Mac felt his cheeks flush.

"Annnnddd… he's blushing, ladies and gentlemen! The boss is blushing!" Don exclaimed in a sports announcer's voice, laughing.

Mac threw a crumpled paper at Don.

"Get outta here!"

"What? I help you and you throw me out? I'm hurt, man!" Don said, displaying a pained look in his face, only to laugh again.

Mac shook his head at him, smiling.

_They're not back together!_


	13. Chapter 13

_**From Chapter 12**_

_Mac threw a crumpled paper at Don._

"_Get outta here!"_

"_What? I help you and you throw me out? I'm hurt, man!" Don said, displaying a pained look in his face, only to laugh again._

_Mac shook his head at him, smiling. _

_They're not back together!_

**Chapter 13**

-Crime Lab-

Russ put a brown bag onto Jo's desk causing her to look up at him questioningly.

As if reading her mind, "Breakfast" he said.

"I already had breakfast before coming to work."

"Don't lie to me. Tyler told me you just chugged down a cup of tea. I drove him back to the University this morning remember?" Russ said cocking an eyebrow at her.

"I'm not hungry." She said, turning back to work.

Russ shrugged and turned on his laptop, "Choco chip bagel, fresh from the oven, had to wait for five minutes" he said nonchalantly

Jo ignored him.

Three minutes later, she sighed heavily.

"I hate you ex-husband!" she said through gritted teeth while opening the bag and taking out the bagel.

Russ chuckled at her.

"Took you long enough. My bet was on the first minute after placing it in front of you."

"I hope this case would be closed soon, otherwise you're just going to stuff my face with all these food." Jo said while taking a bite out of the bagel.

Russ smiled at her admiringly.

"You're welcome, beautiful."

Jo rolled her eyes at him, munching.

"We had managed to trace the phone calls' exact location in Thailand and Korea, and also the digital illustration of what Jeremy Langton looks like now." Russ said, getting down into business. He turned the laptop for Jo to see the 3D image of Jeremy.

"Let's tell Mac." Jo said, wiping her mouth.

Fifteen minutes later, all of the CSIs had already downloaded Jeremy's face to their tablets and mobile phones.

"Danny, I think you should go back to the crime scene, try to locate whatever it is that Jeremy was looking for. Leave no stone unturned. Hawkes, you go with Danny." Mac ordered the two CSIs.

-Crime Scene-

"You park the car, and I'll see you upstairs, Doc" Danny told Sheldon as he opened the car door to let himself out.

"Alright" Sheldon said, eyes already scanning for possible car space.

Danny went up with a police escort to the fourth floor where Sophie Maine used to live.

"Here you go, man, don't even let anybody take a peek, okay?" Danny said as he reached through the police tape to open the door.

Danny ducked beneath the police tape and took three steps in when somebody jumped at him, toppling him to the ground. He tried to pry the attacker off him but he was already out the door. Danny stood up and saw the police escort running after the attacker. The attacker turned around to take aim at them and that's when he recognized that it was Jeremy Langton. Before he could react, Jeremy fired a shot before bolting through the fire escape. The bullet hit the police officer's shoulder, prompting Danny to immediately call for ambulance. He then also bolted after Jeremy through the fire escape after ensuring that the police officer was going to be okay. He called Sheldon while running down flights of stairs to tell him their location.

Danny was already almost at the door when he heard another shot fired, followed by another one. He threw open the door to the back alley to find Jeremy kneeling on the floor, thigh bleeding. It was the other police escort who was also with them who shot Jeremy. Danny handcuffed and put him at the back of the police car.

Jeremy Langton was brought to the precinct after his shallow bullet wound was cleaned, and the bullet taken out at the hospital.

-Precinct-

"What happened to the Men-in-Blacks that were supposed to babysit him? Why didn't they alert us that Jeremy was there in the flat?" Don asked, a little angry at Russ who was with them at the observation room together with Mac and Jo. They were going to watch the interrogation of Jeremy Langton who sat at the opposite side of the one-way mirror.

"They said they didn't notice Danny walked into the apartment building. They were parked at the side alley, a delivery van blocking their view of the front door."

"Well, look at what happened. Good thing nobody got killed." Don said leaving the room to start the interrogation.

Russ looked at Jo.

"I'm sorry"

Jo nodded at him before turning her attention to the opposite room, as Don walked in and took his seat opposite Jeremy.

-Interrogation Room-

"You better talk, and do it fast. One of my men was shot, and you opened fire at one of my friends. I'm not in a good mood to say the least and your shooting a police officer didn't earn you brownie points, either. Now, open your mouth and spill your guts out." Don said glaring angrily at Jeremy.

Jeremy kept mum.

"Okay, I'll make this easy for you. What were you looking for at Sophie Maine's flat?"

"I don't know her."

"Don't play dumb with me; I'm not particularly fond of that trick."

"I really don't know her."

"Stop pretending, Jeremy" Don slammed his hand on the table.

"I'm not Jeremy. My name's Anthony Wein."

"We took your fingerprints, dumbass! Your prints were in our database since that robbery in California. Now, you may have changed your appearance but your fingerprints now are still the same as they were two and a half years ago. Now, talk!" Don shouted angrily.

Two and a half years ago, Jeremy went to Sophie Maine's flat and spent his last night as Jeremy Langton with her. He flew to Phuket, Thailand the next day telling Sophie that it was for a business he's planning to put up with some friends. He did not tell her about the black velvet pouch he left at the back of her closet.

Over the course of two years, he would call to make sure that his secret at the back of her closet hadn't been discovered, yet. He went to Seoul, Korea after a year of staying in Thailand to undergo another set of cosmetic surgery. When he returned, he introduced himself to Sophie and it took a lot of discussions before Sophie finally believed that it was him. When he looked for the pouch he left behind and he didn't find it, he was forced to tell Sophie that he left a pouch in her closet with very valuable things inside. Sophie declined having seen anything but he insisted.

Finally, that early morning, Sophie came home from an out of town photo shoot. He wanted to come in to her apartment but she won't let him anymore. He tried to persuade her but when he saw that she won't change her mind, he had thought that maybe she had found it and didn't want to give it back to him considering the items inside that bag. There were fifty pieces of different diamond earring, engagement rings, and diamond necklaces inside that pouch.

Out of frustration, he whacked Sophie in the head using her own DSLR. She tried to pull out her pepper spray from her bag but he beat her into it and fired two shots at her after he panicked, thinking it was a gun she was pulling out.

He kept on going back to the apartment even after the crime, careful to slip unnoticed, trying to find the pouch which until now he still hadn't found yet.

-Crime Lab-

Now that Sophie Maine's case was closed, the NYPD turned Jeremy Langton over to the FBI for the robbery case.

Mac, Jo, and Flack had just gotten out of the elevator when Adam came rushing to them.

"Mac, I found a Missing Person's report on Sophie Maine. She was reported missing by her mother 13 years ago. She was 19 years old at that time." Adam showed them the tablet with the picture of little Sophie, and her last picture with her sister that was taken three months before she went missing.

Seeing the address of Sophie Maine's parents was in Staten Island, Jo declared that she would go there herself to bring the personal effects of Sophie to her parents.

"I'll go with you." Mac told her.

-Staten Island-

Jo knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it, Mac standing beside her.

When an old lady, who Jo perceived to be around 63 years old, opened the door, she introduced herself and Mac to her, and told her how they got the address. Upon hearing Sophie's name, they were ushered inside the modest family home.

Inside, Jo could make out the similarities of Sophie's smile and eyes with her mother's. Her father's hair color and nose were identical to Sophie's. Sophie's sister also sat with them after telling her daughter to play near the door instead of going out. Very slowly, taking her time, she told the family the sad news of Sophie's death.

Her mother wouldn't believe them at first. She only believed them when they brought out the box with Sophie's personal effects in it, including the necklace with a silver camera pendant that her parents bought her as a gift for her 16th birthday.

They were about to leave the house when Mac squinted his eyes. Something glinted on him and as he tried to search for the source of the glint, he felt Jo's hand on his elbow. He followed her gaze and it landed on Sophie's niece's toy doll.

They asked Sophie's sister as to where do the doll's little diamond earrings came from. She said she didn't know, and that it was the first time that she'd ever saw it.

"Annie, come here. Where did you get this?" she asked her daughter, touching the earring.

"From Aunt Sophie. She gave it to me."

"When baby?"

"That time we went to her house."

"Why did she give that to you, baby?"

"I was playing with the tiny bag. Then Aunt Sophie asked me if I wanted it, then she gave it to me."

"Can we see the bag, please?" Mac asked her.

Annie went to get the bag that she was talking about from her room. When she came back, Jo's breath hitched in her throat. It was a black velvet pouch. When Mac opened the pouch, he couldn't believe his eyes. Diamond earrings, necklaces and rings were inside it.

They explained the situation, and the significance of the pouch to Sophie's family. Sophie's mother, upon hearing that her daughter, who left home 13 years ago because her father did not approve of her boyfriend then, who 13 years after was found by her sister when she saw her name on a magazine, only to be killed because of the contents of the black, velvet pouch, did not wish to see even the shadow of it.

"She said she will come home at the end of this month. She just had to finish some booked engagements and then she's going to come home. After 13 long years, she'll be home. But now, it's too late." Sophie's sister told them, hugging her daughter tight, crying hard.

"After 13 agonizing, long years, my daughter would finally come home to me, but I never expected that she's coming home cold, lying in a coffin." Mrs. Maine's sobbing hard now, his husband beside her, crying silently.

* * *

Mac and Jo drove back to New York City in silence.

"Jo, are you okay?" Mac asked her when he saw her grim reflection on the car window.

"Yes." She said, not looking at him.

"Tell me what's on your mind." Mac said, risking a quick glance at her.

"I just… Sophie ran away because her father did not approve of her boyfriend that time. For thirteen years, her mother did not see her, did not know where she is, if she's safe, if she's eating… nothing." Jo said, still looking out the window.

"You thought of Ellie?" Mac said carefully.

"I can't imagine experiencing that kind of torture. God knows we don't always see things eye to eye. There was one time when we also argued about a boy. What if…" Jo did not finish her sentence and just continued looking out the window.

Mac knew not to ask any more. They drove back to the crime lab without uttering a single word more.

* * *

Russ got out of his car after finally having found a space for visitor's parking. He was about to cross the basement parking lot to the bank of elevators when he saw Mac Taylor's car arrive and parked at his own reserved parking. He was about to continue to the elevators, when he saw Jo on the passenger's side, her face gloom. He knew that look: a case involving children.

* * *

"Jo… look at me." Mac said to her, his voice low.

"I'm okay, Mac." Jo said as she released her seatbelt, but just sat there, not moving.

Mac sighed before reaching in to gently hold Jo's chin between his left forefinger and thumb. He guided her face and turned it to him.

"Jo… don't be like this." Mac said releasing her chin.

He looked at her earnestly, but she won't look in his eyes.

"Come here…" Mac said voice coarse, raw with emotion.

Mac slowly put his right arm around Jo's shoulders. He then gently pulled her into him, hugging her, gently cradling her head against his cheek.

Mac placed his left hand on her right forearm and just held her close to him.

* * *

Russ stood beside his car, rooted to the spot.

He felt his own heart breaking.

Finally, after summoning what little strength was left in his body, he walked away from them, towards the elevator.

* * *

"Hey Jo" Russ greeted her when she entered her office five minutes later.

"Russ" Jo said, still gloomy.

"What's wrong?"

"We just got back from Sophie Maine's parents' residence. Turned out, she ran away from home 13 years ago. She was about to come home to her parents' at the end of this month, but…" Jo shook her head.

Jo sat down opposite Russ, shuffling folders absentmindedly.

"Ellie?" Russ guessed.

"I just wish that I'd done enough good in my life so that I won't have to experience that kind of torture, Russ." Jo stopped shuffling the folders and stared out of her office window.

"You won't experience that. You were so good with Ellie; she won't do that to you." Russ said softly.

Jo shook her head and sighed.

"You're here for the final report?" Jo forced her mind to switch to work mode.

"Yes. Then I'd be out of here." Russ said, looking at her solemnly.

* * *

It was almost 9PM when Mac went out of his office to check on Jo. He couldn't shake the image of Jo who has always been cheerful, happy, and just a bundle of sunshine to everyone, look as glum as she was earlier.

Russ stood up from Lindsay's desk.

"I'm done here." He said to Jo, and frowned when he saw her face. She was staring lifelessly at her computer monitor, her mind not registering anything.

Russ touched her shoulder, bringing her back to reality.

"Jo, don't worry about that anymore. Please. You're just going to worry yourself, sick."

"I'll be fine, Russ. You… have to go back to the Bureau?" Jo asked him when she realized he had already cleaned up the desk, laptop already in his bag.

"Yes. Would you like me to drive you home first?" Russ asked, pure concern in his eyes.

Jo shook her head and gave him a forced, tiny smile.

"I'm worried." Russ said trying to gauge the situation, wondering if he should just stay with her and convince her to let him drive her home.

"I'm fine, Russ. You go ahead. I'm fine."

Russ sighed.

Mac saw Russ walked around the table and stood very near to Jo, facing her.

Russ looked at Jo, his own eyes despondent.

"I'll call to check on you later tonight, okay?"

"You really don't have to Russ" Jo said, her voice faint.

"I know, but I want to. Okay?" he asked her gently.

Jo nodded.

Russ stooped down and placed a kiss on Jo's left temple.

Mac saw Russ stoop down and placed a kiss on Jo's left temple.

"Good night, Jo."

"'night, Russ."

Mac saw Russ turn to leave Jo's office, and retreated back to his own.

Russ saw Mac, midway to Jo's office, hastily retreated back down the hall and returned to his office.


	14. Chapter 14

_**From Chapter 13**_

_Mac saw Russ stoop down and placed a kiss on Jo's left temple._

"_Good night, Jo."_

"'_night, Russ."_

_Mac saw Russ turn to leave Jo's office, and retreated back to his own._

_Russ saw Mac, midway to Jo's office, hastily retreated back down the hall and returned to his office._

**Chapter 14**

"Tired already?" Russ asked Jo as he approaches her. It was three days after the Jeremy Langton case and they were in Central Park.

"A little. It comes with age, I believe." Jo chuckled, looking at Ellie and Tyler playing a few feet away from where she's sitting.

Russ sat down beside her on the lawn.

Tyler and Ellie begged their mother for a day of Frisbee game. She wanted to lie around since it's her day off and had wanted to catch up on some sleep but they just wouldn't let her. They kept on pestering her until she agreed.

Tyler went to have lunch with Russ before their Frisbee date. When he drove Tyler back, he asked him to join them for Frisbee, which he readily accepted.

"I have a confession to make, Jo." Russ said, unable to look her in the eye.

Jo narrowed her eyes at him.

"Spill" she said.

"This Frisbee game, it's all my idea. I just asked them for help." Russ said now turning to look at her.

Jo's eyes widened at him.

"What? Why? And how on earth did you manage to do that?"

"Do what?"

"To convince my children to betray me?" Jo said glaring at him, a little irritated but not mad.

"Oh come on, they did not betray you. I just don't know how to invite you out here today." Russ said shyly.

"And why do you want to invite me out here?" Jo said, irritation starting to swell up.

"I wanted to talk to you. Something important." Russ said nervously.

"What about?"

"Mac Taylor" Russ said looking at his hands before daring to look up at Jo.

Jo frowned upon hearing Mac's name.

"What about Mac?" Jo frowned at him.

"When I went to the crime lab the very first time, I told you that he seems to be a good man and you said he is."

Jo nodded. "And then?"

Russ ran his hand through his hair.

"Promise me that you won't walk out on me, and you'll let me finish what I'm about to say."

Jo nodded again.

Russ took a deep breath.

"I never thought it would be this hard." Russ muttered.

"How about you do it how I like it? Straight to the point." Jo said raising her eyebrow at him.

"Well, how do you feel about him?"

Jo widened her eyes at him and was about to open her mouth when Russ interrupted her.

"And don't tell me about his professionalism because I've had experienced it first-hand." Russ said, looking at her knowingly.

"My business, not yours." She said, looking away from him.

"Jo… Okay. Remember when I went to the crime lab to talk about Tyler?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course! What about that?"

"I saw through him that day. I saw through his feelings…" Russ said, feeling his heart about to explode.

"Jo… do you know that he loves you?"

"Okay Russ, stop this nonsense, right now." Jo said staring hard at him.

"Jo, why do you think I agreed with Ellie when she told me to send the flowers to the crime lab? Do you really think that I'd do that without other, deeper reason?" Russ paused for a moment before continuing.

"I love you, Jo. Until now… I still love you."

Jo opened her mouth to stop him but he cut her off

"I'm not trying to manipulate you, and I'm not saying this to maybe try to win your heart again. I'm telling you this because this might be the last chance that I'd get to say it. Just… please let me continue?"

When Jo did not say anything, Russ took a deep breath.

"I regret the day you walked away from me. If I could turn back the time, I would let you work and build a career for yourself, like what you wanted. I would not even make a fuss of you not taking my name." Russ paused, his mind wandering to visit those memories of them, together, happy.

"While I was there at the crime lab, I saw how you look at him. I know that look, Jo. I still remember that look. It was the look I used to enjoy years ago, long ago, but I could still remember those eyes looking at me lovingly, as if it was just yesterday. I don't know what happened between you two. And I'm not going to ask. But I sensed some tension. I had sensed that you bring all your defenses up whenever the two of you would talk. You never did that before. A big change had happened between the two of you." Jo couldn't believe what she was hearing. She never had imagined that Russ would observe her attitude towards Mac.

"But you know what, Jo? There was this tiny thing that never changed from then until now. And I think you know what I'm talking about. Now, I'm telling you this because… because I love you, and I want you to be happy. That's what you deserved." Russ could hear his own heart thudding very loudly in his chest.

"Go with Mac." He felt as though someone's tearing his heart out of his chest.

Jo stared at him, eyes wide.

"He loves you and you love him. He'll take care of you and he won't hurt you like I did. And if he does…" Russ paused, "Come to me and then I'll hurt him for you." He said with a tiny, bitter smile.

He tried to project a cool facade but mist was forming in his eyes.

"If you would ever need me, I'll always be here for you, Jo. Always. Don't ever forget that." Russ looked at her bleakly, waiting if she's going to say anything.

Jo finally looked in his eyes.

"Russ… I just want you to know that no matter how much had happened between the two of us, you're still Tyler's father; you're still a part of me, a part of my life. And our lives may not have ended the way we had dreamt it would before, but I did not, and will not regret that I married you. We had our good times together, and I would remember all of those fondly." Jo felt tears pricking her eyes.

"I appreciate what you just said; all of it. But, Mac, he… he loves somebody else." Jo said with a sad smile, before looking down at her hands, trying so hard to stop her tears from falling.

Russ shook his head at her, even though she could not see it.

"Silly." He traced his finger down her cheek.

"He may not say anything yet. But I know. I'm certain that he loves you. You may not notice it, but whenever he sees me flirting with you… Jo, if looks could kill, I would have already died a thousand, painful deaths." Russ said with a small smile on his lips.

Jo let out a small, nervous chuckle.

_Mac loves me? But what about Christine?_

Jo shook his head at Russ again.

"He's with somebody else, Russ. But it's okay, his friendship is enough for me." Jo went silent when she realized something: _ I don't even have his friendship, now._

"Okay, this time I'm certain that you're going to kill me with what I'm going to say." Russ cringed a little.

Jo frowned at him, not knowing what to think.

"What have you done, Russ?" Jo narrowed her eyes at him.

Russ sighed, then grinned sheepishly.

"You know, as a former FBI yourself, who to tap when you need some information, right?" Russ looked at her dreaded expression.

"I asked someone to find out for me. Don't worry, that someone doesn't work in the crime lab."

"You're stalling."

"I found out that Mac and Christine broke up just a few nights ago. I heard Mac was pretty angry at something she lied about." Russ said nervously awaiting the explosion that is his ex-wife.

"Why would you do that, Russ? It's his personal relationship! You did not respect his privacy. And do you know how private a man he is? What were you thinking snooping on him like that? What, did you draft an FBI file on him?" Jo said angrily, voice shaking.

_Explosion!_ Russ thought to himself.

"I'm curious," Russ shrugged "and I'm worried about you. Since I discovered that he loves you, and that you love him too, I wanted to know how he's doing in the relationship department. I didn't want to have this talk with you only to find out that he's attached, so I did my research first before coming here."

Jo rolled her eyes at him. "You're impossible! You better hope that he won't know anything about this, otherwise if he asked me anything at all about this, no matter how innocent the question is, I'll hunt you down." Jo narrowed her eyes at him, afraid and mad at the same time.

Russ chuckled at her.

"Relax, Jo."

Jo sighed heavily, shaking her head. _ They broke up? Then who would take care of him now? Who would keep an eye on him and help him with… whatever it is… that he is trying to overcome?_

She sighed again.

Tyler and Ellie came over to them when they saw that they were done talking.

Ellie was the one who spoke up first.

"Okay mom, you might think that we're going against you, but it's not the case. We love you, Tyler and I, and Russ said he knew that there was something wrong between Mac and you. And of course I knew what was wrong, so I helped him with his plan. He wanted to talk to you about him, so I… I just wanted to help you. I just wanted to see you happy. I'm sorry if you feel like we were going against you. But we're really not. Please don't be mad?" Ellie said, hugging her mother.

"I'm not mad, Ellie. I totally understand. I love you sweetheart." Jo said kissing her forehead.

"And you, young man, any confession to make?" Jo turned her attention to Tyler.

"Same as what Ellie said. Plus, I love you." Tyler said smiling at her mother.

Jo reached out to him to kiss him also.

"It's okay mom. We're cool." Tyler said moving out of his mother's reach.

Jo pouted at him.

"Fine."

They all went back to Jo's apartment after grabbing some dinner. Russ waited for Tyler as he gathered some of his things, to drive him back to the University.

-10:21PM-

_It's already late, where the hell is he? Damn, don't you dare stay in your office tonight!_ Russ thought, agitated by the realization of the possibility.

A moment later, he quickly jumped out of his car.

"Detective Taylor"

Mac turned around to see Russ jogging his way to him.

"Detective Taylor, can I speak with you for a moment?" Russ said as he stopped in front of Mac.

"Sure. What is it about?"

"Jo"

Mac's blood ran cold.

"Why? What happened to her?"

"No, she's okay. I just wanted to talk you about her."

Mac shifted in his stance. He didn't know what to expect but he knew that Russ is still in love with Jo.

He did not say anything and just stared at Russ, bracing himself of what was about to come.

"Detective, in my short collaboration with your team, I'd discovered something. I know you love Jo." Russ said, not wanting to waste any more time.

Mac stood there in shock, unable to speak.

"I just wanted to tell you that… I broke her heart once. She loved me and I just hurt her. I don't want that to happen again; her getting hurt, I mean. When we separated…"

"Divorced" Mac said automatically.

Russ blinked at him.

Mac realized what he had said and quickly apologized.

"Sorry, I…"

"It's okay Detective. You don't have to explain. I know we're already divorced but I still refer to it as separation. I don't know, somehow, I wanted to think that this is just temporary. That someday I would go home and find her there again." Russ sighed.

"I guess I ran out of chances." he said, looking far away.

Mac waited patiently for Russ to regain his composure.

Russ looked up at him.

"When we… uhh… divorced," Mac saw Russ cringed at the word, "I realized that I just made the greatest mistake of my life. I realized that I'd prefer to go home without her there but know that she would eventually come home; than go home to an empty apartment knowing that she would never walk through the door. I realized that I would prefer her not to use my name as long as I refer to her as my wife and she refers to me as her husband than… you know… ex-husband." Russ looked around them, trying to stifle the pain that was threatening to kill him.

"I want her to be happy. She deserved it. And I know I am not capable of giving her that. So please, take care of her, Mac. Love her, and don't ever hurt her. Do not ever hurt her again like I did." Russ said, mist forming in his eyes again.

Mac did not know what to say, and stayed rooted to the spot.

Russ walked back to his car and opened his car door.

"That's a threat, Mac."

Russ drove away.

It took Mac five minutes before he could move again, and for a while, he felt confused. He didn't know what hit him, until

_He said he knew that I love Jo!_

_But how did he know about that?_

Mac went home bothered.

* * *

_What am I going to do with Jo? How am I going to do it? _

Mac fluffed his pillow again and tried to sleep, as what he has been doing for the last two hours.

This time, his tired body lulled him to sleep; but in his state of semi-consciousness, he saw those warm and gooey hazel eyes he loved looking at, drawing him in, and enticing him, only to evaporate when he was already so close to it.

"Jo..." he whimpered in his sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

_**From Chapter 14**_

_What am I going to do with Jo? How am I going to do it? _

Mac fluffed his pillow again and tried to sleep, as what he has been doing for the last two hours.

This time, his tired body lulled him to sleep; but in his state of semi-consciousness, he saw those warm and gooey hazel eyes he loved looking at, drawing him in, and enticing him, only to evaporate when he was already so close to it.

"Jo..." he whimpered in his sleep.

**Chapter 15**

-Crime Lab-

_Biker's boots! _ Mac quickly looked up at the sound and saw Jo waltzing her way down the hall to her office.

His heart started mimicking the sound of Jo's footsteps.

* * *

This morning, he woke up bathing in cold sweat. He remembered looking at her eyes, and then it vanished. He tried to look for them, but he didn't find it anymore. That's when he woke up, when he realized that he couldn't find her. _I don't want to wake up one day and find out that I've already lost her without even knowing it _he thought. Even jogging didn't help clear his mind. Every time he blinks, he would see her eyes; and when he opened his eyes again, hers vanished.

* * *

Mac saw Jo walking towards the morgue when Adam almost bumped into her. He tried to apologize and come up with some excuse but half-way through, Jo reached up and touched Adam's face which caused him to stop and blush a little. Jo smiled at him, and told him not to sweat it, Mac guessed. She then sauntered off to look for Sid. _I missed her touch._

"Mac, the prints on the rope all belonged to Jason Quilche. But I found another set of prints on the Vic's phone and ran it through AFIS, no go." Danny probed on his thoughts.

"How about his friends, neighbors? Maybe they could tell us something." Mac said quickly switching to work mode.

"Negative on that too, a loner they said. Comes in and out of his pad without even a 'hello'."

"Did we find something in his laptop?"

"Adam's still diggin', I believe. I'll go ask." Danny said already by the door.

* * *

This morning, Jason Quilche was found hanging by a rope inside his apartment. Nobody was living with him, and his only family left was his seventy year-old father who lives in a nursing home in New Jersey. His apartment supervisor was the one who found him hanging from the ceiling when he opened his door with the master key, after receiving complaints due to the loud music coming from his unit. When his incessant knocking did not prove to be fruitful, he was forced to open the door with his master key, and was shell-shocked to find Jason hanging by a rope, lifeless.

* * *

A few minutes later, Adam came rushing in.

"Boss, you're looking for me?"

"Did you find anything in the laptop?"

"I found some pictures, mostly just landscapes and sceneries but there are some pictures of him and a girl named Jenna." Adam stated, handing the tablet to Mac.

"Surname?" Mac inquired while flipping through the album.

"No, all were captioned with her first name only."

"Thomson, maybe?" Lindsay said as she walks in from the side door.

"I found a voucher for an iPod Nano, signed with JThomson. It's possible that the J stands for Jenna, right?" Lindsay said showing Mac the picture of the signed voucher.

Adam took his tablet from Mac and typed in something.

"Tadaaa! Finally found you. Jenna Thomson!" Adam exclaimed, showing the tablet to an amused Mac.

"Facebook?" Mac asked Adam, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"When I looked at the history page of his laptop, I found that Facebook is the only site he visited the most. So I thought that he and Jenna Thomson might be Facebook friends." Adam said happily.

"Find out where she lives then and ask her to come in." Mac directed Adam and Lindsay.

* * *

A few hours later, Mac was walking down the hall when he saw Jo.

"Mac, Sid found this blister and these marks on Jason's fingers in addition to the swelling of his wrist but I couldn't figure out what might have caused it." Jo told him while showing him the pictures.

Mac frowned then suddenly started walking towards Adam.

"I think I know where these came from."

"Adam, can you show me again those…?" Mac blanked off.

Jo and Adam stared at him, waiting what he was going to say next.

"Those… that you showed me earlier" Mac tried again, a little frustrated.

Jo saw the crease starting to form on his forehead. _Oh no! What did Adam showed him earlier? _ She thought frantically.

Adam looked at Mac, clueless as what he was asking for.

"Which one, Mac?"

"Jenna." Mac said, crease on his forehead, deepening now.

Adam nervously turned back to his computer and called up Jason Quilche's Facebook account.

"Not that one." Mac said agitatedly.

Adam was starting to panic now that he could feel Mac breathing down on his neck.

"…uhhh.. Which one Boss?"

Mac balled his fist on his side, thinking hard.

"Do we have other photos of Jenna?" Jo said, directing the question to a sweating Adam, while casting a side-long glance at Mac.

Mac smoothed his forehead. _Photo._

"Photo taken inside Jason's flat. The first photo with Jenna beside him." Mac said, voice already calmer.

Adam flipped through the album and found the one Mac was referring to.

"The injuries Sid found might have come from playing… that." Mac said, pointing at the guitar in the background.

"Oh yes. A guitar" Jo said stressing the word 'guitar'.

"The marks could have come from the strings." Jo said, squinting at the picture.

"Jason might have just started learning to play guitar or he's learning a difficult piece and played for a long time without taking breaks in between for him to sustain that kind of injury." Mac said, talking from experience. He plays bass guitar, after all.

"He's just learning to play." Lindsay said joining them.

"And how would you know that?" Jo asked her.

"Jenna said so." Lindsay smiled at Jo.

"Jenna's already here?" Mac asked, looking at her.

"Yup. She said Jason worked as a waiter at the club where she was also working. She's the lead singer of their band and had known Jason only for 5 months. That's when their band started at the bar. She said Jason told her that he had bipolar disorder. When he knew of his condition, he went to seek for professional help but felt that it was not helping him in any way."

"Jenna said that she tried to help him by being his friend, listening to his stories, going out with him to places he wanted to go to, sometimes they would go together with her band, but most of the time, since Jason felt uncomfortable with a big group, they go by themselves. He also preferred working than staying at home alone, because that's when ugly thoughts come haunt him, so most of the time he works three shifts, going home only to have a few hours' sleep." Lindsay paused to catch her breath.

"Only a little more than a month ago, he asked her to teach him how to play guitar. He said he wanted to learn how to play so that it could accompany him in his loneliness. Jenna taught him how to play but he was having a hard time. He would sometimes spend a whole day trying to learn the chords, then go to work, then come home and try to sleep, then play again. Last night, he called her up and told her that he felt useless and hopeless as he couldn't even learn how to play the guitar. Jenna tried to reason with him but he wouldn't listen. She planned on checking up on him this afternoon after their rehearsals when she couldn't reach him through his phone but we reached her first." Lindsay narrated to them.

"Flack is already on his way to the club to check out her alibi and see what more he could learn about Jason. Meanwhile, since no evidence could prove otherwise, I think Jason's killed himself." Lindsay added conclusively.

"What about the voucher of iPod Nano?" Mac asked Lindsay.

"She bought it for herself, the same time when Jason bought his guitar. They went back to his place right after to start their first lesson."

Mac nodded.

"Let's wait for Flack but at this point, I also think its suicide." Mac agreed with Lindsay.

Don came back that evening with Jenna's alibi and stories all checked out. They concluded the case closed and went to finish their individual reports before heading home.

* * *

It was already dim in the crime lab as it was almost deserted save for a handful of the night-shift lab techs. Jo had already shut all the blinds in her office, ready to go home, when she saw Danny's fingerprint report, peeking out from the hazardous pile of files on her desk and sighed heavily. She thought she was already done with the final report as she did not see any Quilche case files anymore, until now.

She went back to her desk to finish the job but could not concentrate. The elevator's coming and going, increased her urge to leave the report for tomorrow. _Procrastination _she thought, and tried again to focus her attention to her computer monitor.

* * *

A few minutes later,

_Jeez. _ Jo stood up and closed the door, and completely shut all the blinds in her office including the door blinds. _Focus Jo, otherwise you'll never get out of here tonight._

* * *

Ten more minutes later, Jo was finishing up the final report to be signed when Mac knocked on her door and entered.

"Mac, please give me a few more minutes I'm about done with this." Jo said, thinking he was there to follow up on Jason Quilche's final report.

Mac nodded at her.

"I thought I saw the light still on but the blinds were down so I came by to check." Mac said, looking at Jo's face that's illuminated only by the soft glow of the desk lamp on her table.

"The elevator sounding off its coming and going to send people home was tempting me to abandon the report so I tried to avoid looking at and hearing it. I secluded myself in here." Jo said looking up at Mac with a small smile.

"Jo, I'd like to ask you something." Mac asked her, voice soft and low.

"Sure, go ahead." Jo said, saving her work before looking up again at Mac.

Mac ran a hand through his hair.

"You saved me twice today."

Jo frowned.

"Photos, and guitar?" Mac supplied when he saw the confused look on Jo's face.

Jo smiled at him.

"Don't think about that."

"You've helped me a lot of times already…" Mac hesitated. "Aren't you curious anymore?"

Jo did not know what to say. She knew what he was talking about but what can she say about that?

"Curious? I am. But I don't want to ask anymore." Jo said, remembering again what he said to her 'that night'.

"But why? Don't you want to satisfy your curiosity?" Mac asked her then cringed when he realized what he had just said, and the answer to that.

Jo shifted back in her seat to face her computer. "I'd rather not" she said softly, quickly finishing the report. She hit print and watched as the printer worked the papers out.

Mac felt her discomfort.

He felt his heart beating loudly.

"I mean, considering the number of times that you had to fill in my missing words…"

Jo worked quickly in filing the papers and fixing her signature at the bottom before putting it in a folder, growing more and more uncomfortable. She had no idea why Mac was initiating this conversation but what she did know is that she wouldn't want him to push her away again.

"…it should really be obvious to you now that I'm… having memory problems?" Mac's voice was barely audible now. This is the first time he heard himself say it aloud and it sort of resonated throughout his soul.

Jo had already turned off her computer and was about to hand the file to Mac but stopped abruptly upon hearing his words.

Jo nodded slowly at him. She wanted to ask, to know more; but his words, his tone, and his facial expression when he told her to stay out of his personal business kept on playing in her mind and she felt her heart about to burst in pain again, just as how she had felt that very moment.

"Here's the report, Mac. I'll go ahead." Jo said handing the file to Mac but he won't accept it.

"Aren't you going to ask me anything?" Mac tried again.

Jo shook her head 'no' and placed the file on her table instead.

"Its personal, Mac." She retorted, not able to stop herself. "I have to go home to Ellie, it's getting late." Jo said, walking towards her coat and bag at the couch.

"Jo…"

"Mac, please. I don't want to ask. I don't want to ask anymore so that you won't have to push me away again." Jo said, tears stinging her eyes now.

She walked towards the door but Mac blocked it with his body.

Mac looked at her eyes deeply, and Jo saw something unfamiliar in his eyes.

_Fear! _ Jo thought. It was the first time that she saw fear in his eyes. It unnerved her. _This man, who stares death in the eye, never backs down, is now standing in front of me looking me in the eye, letting me see the deepest core of his soul, letting me see his fear._

Jo blinked back her tears. _What happened to you, Mac? What is happening to you?_

"I have aphasia, Jo." He said in one shaky breath, as if reading her mind.

Jo stared at him, eyes wide, shell-shocked.

"I… I can't remember words. Simple words." Mac continued, his eyes starting to tear up.

"There was no knowing until when this would continue. It… It could be permanent." Mac's voice broke a little.

"And I'm… scared. I'm so scared Jo. I could lose everything I've worked hard for. I could be left with nothing." Mac said, a tear slipping from his eye. "Nothing at all."

Jo did not say anything and just continued to stare at him.

"Jo…" he said very quietly.

"Good Lord" she whispered when she finally got hold of herself.

She dropped her things on the couch and walked a few steps to Mac, closing their distance.

"Mac" she called out, tears trailing down her cheeks.

She reached up and pulled him into a very tight hug.

"Don't be scared." She hushed into him. "You're not alone, will never be alone." her voice now uneven, his shirt now thoroughly soaked with her tears.

"I'll do everything to help you. And you would never be left with nothing. I promise you. It may not be much, but you'll always have me, Mac. You'll always have me." She hugged him tighter, her right hand pulling on his neck.

Mac held onto Jo as if she's his life raft.

"I love you, Jo." Mac whispered into her.

Jo's breath hitched in her throat.

"I love you. I was just too stupid to notice. Then there's Christine. But I do, I really do. And…"

"Mac" Jo whispered, leaning away from Mac, looking at his eyes, scared that it might be some stupid trick her mind was playing on her.

"Jo, I really love you. That's why I told you about having aphasia. I didn't tell anybody. Not even to Christine. I only told you because I love you, and I trust you with my life."

Jo looked at him and realized that she had never seen him this… _distraught_.

Jo reached up to touch his face.

"I love you too, Mac. I've always loved you." Jo whispered, sniffling.

Mac pulled her again into him, hugging her tight.

"I love you" he said once more before loosening his hold on her.

Mac leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.

He dipped his head a bit more and kissed Jo again a little deeper this time.

Jo shut her eyes tight, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Jo, what's wrong?" Mac asked, worry etched on his face.

She shook her head before smiling at him.

"I just remembered that night when you told me to stay out of your personal business. After that, I thought I was a big failure because I failed to keep even our friendship. Forget about the relationship of the romantic kind, but Mac, the friendship. That's what I treasure the most. How can I live through life knowing that something's bothering you and I couldn't even ask after you, no jokes, no chance for me to lighten things up for you, no nothing? That's what hurts me the most."

Mac leaned his forehead against Jo's. "I'm so sorry for doing that to you. I was just so afraid, trying to cover up my problem. I'm really sorry, Jo. I didn't mean it, and I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry, Jo."

"Everything's fine now, Mac. Now that you've told me everything… I understand why you had to do that. It doesn't matter now. We have each other now. We'll go through this together."

Mac nodded at her then kissed her again gently before crushing their bodies into another tight hug.

"Thank you, Jo. Thank you."


	16. Chapter 16

**I'd like to thank you guys again for reading and reviewing my fanfic and as I could only reach guest reviewers through here, I'd like to extend my thanks to you too, esp. to guest reviewers aneezilda and Dustyfog416. Thank you again.**

**Enjoy Chapter 16!**

* * *

_**From Chapter 15**_

_Mac leaned his forehead against Jo's. "I'm so sorry for doing that to you. I was just so afraid, trying to cover up my problem. I'm really sorry, Jo. I didn't mean it, and I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry, Jo."_

"_Everything's fine now, Mac. Now that you've told me everything… I understand why you had to do that. It doesn't matter now. We have each other now. We'll go through this together."_

_Mac nodded at her then kissed her again gently before crushing their bodies into another tight hug. _

"_Thank you, Jo. Thank you."_

**Chapter 16**

Jo left the crime lab first last night, leaving Mac to finish and officially close Jason Quilche's case. But Jo did not leave him until he promised to go home right after he affixes his signature and would have a proper dinner, first.

* * *

"Mornin' Mac!" Jo called from his office door, megawatt smile on full display.

Mac couldn't help but smile widely at her also. _ I missed that smile. _

"Good morning, Jo"

She gave him a little wave before walking towards her office.

When she reached her office door, she instantly felt sad. She thought of the event that transpired here last night. And though it ended well, she couldn't forget the look of vulnerability and fear on Mac's face.

Jo shook her head. It hurts her to think that Mac had been going through this ordeal alone, for the last six months or so. And frankly, she did not know how it would be possible for him to keep it a secret for a long time, and what would happen if the news finally broke out.

Jo shut her eyes. All she knew was she'd be there for him, to help him, and to absorb everything if he could not anymore.

She stood up to go to the pantry for her morning tea, and saw Lindsay already there.

"Morning Lindsay" she greeted the young woman with a warm smile.

"Hi Jo! Good mood?" she asked her when she noticed Jo's eyes' liveliness, something she had not seen in the last few weeks.

Jo nodded her head.

"Yeah, the sun has shone its mighty rays again on me." She said with a smile.

Lindsay's forehead crinkled at her words.

"Quite poetic, huh?" Lindsay said, smiling back at her.

Jo chuckled before walking back the door, to return to her office, to Lindsay's amazement.

* * *

"How are the beautiful ladies of the crime lab?" Danny asked as he entered Jo's and Lindsay's office.

"Still beautiful" Lindsay answered her husband, while stretching her arms.

Jo chuckled at Lindsay's response, which made Danny's eyes grow wide.

"You're chuckling again?" Danny asked, looking at Jo.

"What do you mean?" Jo asked back, surprise of what he said.

"Well, I haven't heard you chuckle for a long time." Danny said a-matter-of-factly.

"Nonsense. I chuckle all the time." Jo said playfully rolling her eyes at Danny.

"Nope! At least not during the last few weeks, you hardly smile let alone, chuckle." Danny said shaking his head.

Jo looked at them, bewildered.

"Okay babe, let's go grab some lunch before a crime gets committed." Danny said, looking at his watch.

Jo's phone rang just as Lindsay gave her a little wave on her way out with Danny.

"Danville"

"What's taking Danny so long to ask Lindsay to go with him for lunch?" Mac's voice came from the other end.

Jo felt lost at first, suddenly unsure if it was really Mac on the phone, or if he dialed the wrong number.

"Come again?"

"I saw Danny walked into your office, and guessed that he must be asking Lindsay to join him for lunch. I've been waiting for them to walk back out but… oh yes, here they come."

Danny and Lindsay waved at Mac when they passed by his office, towards the elevator.

"Mac?"

"I've been waiting for them to leave you alone because I wanted to ask you to have lunch with me." Mac said on the phone, a smile slowly splitting his face.

"A little bit brazen, don't you think?" her voice low, a smile on her own lips starting to spread.

"What, you don't do lunch with your boyfriends?" Mac said mockingly.

"Lunch is just one of the _many_ things I _do_ with my boyfriends" Jo paused naughtily; letting her words sink in. "…it's just that people might see us and… talk."

"You sounded guilty. We had lunches before, and dinners too. Nobody would suspect anything."

"I guess you're right. Okay. Where do we go?" Jo said, turning off her computer, thoughts of food making her hungrier than she thought she was.

* * *

Ten minutes later, they were sitting across each other in a small but cozy café, perusing the menu.

"I know what I'll have" Jo said, eyes twinkling at Mac, after less than two minutes of reading the menu.

"You've already made up your mind when I've yet to read half of the offerings?" Mac asked, astonished.

"Well, I have a system in menu perusing: process of elimination." Jo said smiling.

Mac cocked his eyebrows at her.

Jo blushed but explained anyway.

"I look if they have burger first. If they do not have it, I move to my next category which is Sloppy Joe, then Philly's Cheesesteak, then so on and so forth." Jo smiled at him looking away.

Mac nodded.

"Effective system you've got there, I must say." Mac couldn't help but laugh.

Fifteen more minutes later, Jo was already attacking her burger while Mac was slowly twirling his vegetable and seafood pasta with his fork.

Mac chuckled softly when he looked up at Jo.

"What?"

"Burger juice is starting drip from the corner of your mouth" Mac said offering a napkin to her.

"That means this is a quality burger. Juicy, and made with fresh ingredients." Jo said taking the napkin from him, Mac smiling at her.

When they're done with their lunch, they walked back to the crime lab, side by side, their fingers brushing against each other. Both of them were silent, contented of the silence they shared with each other, amid the honking and yelling of the New York traffic around them.

* * *

The last few days had been crazy, considering all the crimes that were committed around the city. They managed to work together as professional CSIs without any hint of their true relationship, except of little winks here and there, and exchanged loving glances, all done when nobody was paying them any attention.

It was now 9PM, four days after their first lunch together as a couple. Mac has been looking around the crime lab for Jo but he couldn't find her. He knew that she had not gone home yet, otherwise, he would know about it since she always comes to his office, now all by herself, to say good night to him, and to tell him to go home early and do not even think about staying the night at the crime lab.

Mac dialed her number on his phone, and listened to it ring a number of times before going to voicemail. He tried dialing again but got the voicemail again. _Where are you, Jo? _He was starting to get worried now.

Mac walked back to the end of the hall and entered her abandoned office. Papers and folders were strewn all over her desk, multi-colored post it notes all around it also. He spotted her things still sitting in her office, and her phone on top of the files. His heart started to hammer his chest with its pounding. _She always carries her phone with her._ _Where is she? _

Mac's detective mode took over and his eyes scanned the whole office. She must have gone somewhere in a hurry since she left her phone in her office, but where could she be? He had already gone through the whole 35th floor in search of her but did not see her anywhere.

His eyes zeroed in on her computer screen. _It must have been something about whatever it is that she was working on. _

Mac frowned when he saw what was on her monitor. _The New York skyline? _ He thought it was a screensaver so he moved the mouse hoping that it would reveal whatever document was underneath it.

Mac's frown deepened when he realized that it was not a screensaver. He paused for a moment then quickly jogged towards the elevator.

* * *

"There you are."

"Mac's voice startled her.

Jo turned around to the direction of his voice and smiled at him.

"I've been looking around for you and was about to give in to my urge to dust your office for prints." Mac said as he approached her.

"You worry too much" Jo smiled widely at him when he reached her side.

"I tried calling you but when I kept on reaching voicemail, I went to your office and found your phone on your desk. You always carry your phone with you."

"I totally forgot about my phone. I thought the whole time, it was with me." She laughed at herself.

Mac planted a sweet kiss on her lips before standing behind her, encircling his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her right shoulder.

Around them, tall skyscrapers light up the night. They were surrounded by glittering lights emanating from the buildings around theirs, even at this time of the night, proving to them that this is truly a city that never sleeps.

Above them, an explosion of stars twinkled from a cloudless, beautiful, cool evening, blanketing them with flickering lights from the sky. The moon floated aimlessly from a distant, lending them just enough light that makes the night perfect for two people in love.

"What were you doing here?"

"How did _you_ know I was here?"

"I saw the New York skyline on your computer and thought you might be at the rooftop and I was right."

"Well, I remembered that I once gave a Marine assigned in Afghanistan a tour of New York City over the internet. It was during the Sass Dumonde case and I was on that chat site and he told me he had never been to New York but had always wanted to see it." Jo sighed.

"So I went up here to look at it again but from a different vantage point, this time."

Jo felt Mac nod against her shoulder.

"It is beautiful and perfect from here." Mac said in his low voice.

It was Jo's turn to nod now.

"But I was never told that it would be more perfect when your arms are around me while I'm here looking at it." Jo smiled.

Mac released his hold of her and took a step beside her then turned her around to face him.

He leaned in and trailed light kisses from her forehead down to the tip of her nose. He looked up at her, and grazed his right thumb on her jaw. He leaned in again and with lips slightly apart, kissed Jo on her lips, very gently and slowly, taking his time, to which Jo responded with equal gentleness and sweetness, putting her arms around his neck while doing so.

When they finally let go of each other, they leaned their foreheads together and gazed deeply at each others' eyes, their mouths not talking but their heartbeats saying more than what words could ever say.

* * *

After a few more moments, they decided to go back to the crime lab.

"What do you say you come over at my place tomorrow for dinner?" Jo asked him while they were in the elevator.

"Sure, as long as there's no crime to be solved, I'd be there." Mac said smiling at her.

"Don't worry, if you couldn't come tomorrow because you have to solve crime, then most probably, I'd be beside you solving the same crime." Jo said laughing.

Then her face turned serious.

"I was hoping we could tell Ellie tomorrow night, about us?" Jo asked him, skeptical if he would like the idea.

Mac grinned at her, his eyes twinkling.

"Of course! Yes. Yes, I'd like that, Jo." Mac said just as the elevator doors open.

"It's a date, then." Jo managed to whisper loud enough to be heard by him alone before walking out of the elevator.

Mac walked to his own office with a smile on his face, looking forward for tomorrow night.


	17. Chapter 17

_**From Chapter 16**_

"_I was hoping we could tell Ellie tomorrow night, about us?" Jo asked him, skeptical if he would like the idea._

_Mac grinned at her, his eyes twinkling._

"_Of course! Yes. Yes, I'd like that, Jo." Mac said just as the elevator doors open._

"_It's a date, then." Jo managed to whisper loud enough to be heard by him alone before walking out of the elevator._

_Mac walked to his own office with a smile on his face, looking forward for tomorrow night._

**Chapter 17**

Jo opened her apartment door and dragged herself in. They were beset by cases the whole day and she was already dog tired.

She placed the box of pizza on the kitchen counter, and went to her bedroom to change.

She was opening the bottle of Red she bought on her way home when the doorbell rang. She smiled when she remembered who it could be on the other side of the door and went to open it.

"Hey" she greeted with a smile, a few moments later.

"Come in"

Mac smiled at her as he entered her apartment and handed her the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that he bought on his way to her place.

A while later, they were both seated at the four-seater couch, Jo leaning to him, his right arm around her shoulder, each holding a glass of wine.

"Ellie won't be home until later tonight. She went to a get-together party after her practice, so it'll only be the two of us sharing that pizza over there."

"I don't see any problem with that. I can take 2 to 3 slices, and the rest you can handle, all by yourself." Mac said with a smile, which earned a pinch from Jo.

* * *

"Jo…" Mac said after a while.

"There's something I want you to know but I don't know if I should tell you or not."

Jo sat up and looked at him.

"What is it?"

"Something that happened at the hospital, the day I was shot." Mac looked at Jo when he felt her tensed up.

"You… leapt from a moving vehicle, asked the nurses about my condition, prayed for me, stayed with me until the surgery was done, all the while, crying your eyes out…" Mac said repeating all the things that Don had told him.

Jo looked at him shocked.

"Then you'd visit me almost every single night, except you wouldn't let them wake me up so you'd…" Mac sighed heavily. It felt like his heart was being torn into pieces.

"You'd patiently wait at the nurses' station until a nurse opens the door to my room so that you could look at me, monitor my heartbeat…" Mac felt the tears start to pool in his eyes but he blinked it all back.

Mac looked at Jo through wistful eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you let anyone tell me?"

Jo frowned sadly at him.

"Who told you?"

"Some people"

"Don?"

Mac did not say anything, neither denying nor confirming.

Jo sighed.

"I didn't want you to know. Because it didn't matter what I do, then."

It was now Mac's turn to frown at her.

"What do you mean it didn't matter? You thought that your caring for me did not matter to me?"

"I know that you appreciated my concern for you, but… I just… I don't know. I just thought that you didn't have to know what I was doing because then you would ask questions. And I didn't want you to ask me questions that I didn't want to answer." Jo looked away from him, avoiding his gaze.

"I don't think I understand, Jo."

"If you asked me why I was doing all those things, I would have lied to you because you'd have left me with no other choice. And…."

"Wait, why would you lie to me?"

"Well, if you asked me and I told you the truth, imagine the mess that it would create. And, if I didn't tell you the truth, I think you'd still figure it out on your own."

"And, that's a bad thing? You didn't want me to know that you care for me?"

Jo reached up and touched his face.

"It's not that I didn't want you to know that I care for you. It's that I didn't want you to know how I really feel about you."

Jo rested her head on her hands.

"You're with Christine. And you're both happy. And… technically, it was I who brought you two together. So if you happened to learn about my true feelings, what would that make me?"

Mac pulled her hands away from her head and pressed his lips on her left temple.

"I'm sorry for not noticing anything. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry for letting you feel all those awful and painful things. I'm sorry for letting you go through that kind of torture…"

Jo hushed him.

"Stop saying sorry, Mac. I don't blame you for anything."

"I know, like what I said to the person who told me those things, I've hurt you so much but you still wouldn't hold anything against me. You just continued loving me, caring for me while I did nothing but hurt you."

Jo leaned away from him and shook her head at him.

"Mac Taylor, this would be the last time that I'm gonna hear those words from you, okay?" Jo warned him. "Don't feel guilty about anything, because whatever I'd felt, and experienced, those were all my decisions. I chose for those things to happen. You had nothing to do with it. Do you understand me?"

Mac pulled her to him again and kissed the crown of her head.

"I love you, Jo."

"I love you, Mac."

* * *

They were already half-way through their pizza when Jo asked him again

"Who told you about those that happened at the hospital? I only have two suspects in mind, so you better spill it."

"I promised not to tell." Mac said munching on his slice.

"Sooner or later, I'll coax it out from you so I suggest you let me know sooner if you don't want me diggin' around for that information." Jo challenged him mockingly.

"But I don't want you to kill the person."

"So it's Don then. It was only him that I promised I would kill if you happen to get your hands on these intel." Jo said feigning grudge against Don.

"Nope. I mean, not only him. Christine told me too." He wanted to come clean.

Jo's eyes widened at him.

"That night we broke up. She told me every single thing. And the more I know, the more I felt manipulated and fooled. You asked Don not to tell me because you were looking out for both me and Christine. But she, she lied to me. Everything about you was deleted in her version of the story. Every single thing." Mac was starting to feel the anger rise again as their last conversation filled his mind.

"Thank God for Don who couldn't keep his mouth shut, and couldn't keep himself from probing on my personal relationships. He was the one who told me about you at the hospital. He said you were devastated." Mac's voice was low, now.

"He said you couldn't be placated. He told me that when you were finally exhausted from crying and begging for information, you sat there, staring ahead, whispering my name and offering prayers for me. And…" Mac hesitated "…and he told me that in the middle of a pep talk you're giving Christine, you told her that… you love me, that you just can't help it." Mac's eyes were now a pool of molten gray.

"Then he asked me if I love you like you love me, which at first I didn't understand. Then he had to spell it out to me. Then I went home asking myself if I love you too. I mean, deep inside I know you're so much more than a friend to me, but I was just not prepared, not ready to acknowledge it yet. And after what Don said, I was put in a situation where I had to really reach inside myself and acknowledge what the truth is. Because honestly, when you started avoiding and ignoring me, it hurts like hell. It's killing me, Jo. And that's when I knew I had to accept that fact. And Christine, after all the lies, I think there was no other way for us." Mac finished, shrugging his shoulders for emphasis.

Jo stared at him for a while.

"That was the longest, most intimate conversation I had with you, aside for the one we had a couple of nights ago, I mean." Jo said with a smile.

"You know how people say that when you experience almost getting killed, you sort of see everything that had happened in your life as in a flashback right before your very eyes? I kind of had that, but it was like in a dream, and it's not flashback. In that dream, I talked to Claire first. And then to you. You told me that you need me to hold on because even if you could run the lab all by yourself, you wouldn't want to. And your voice when you said you need me to hold on, I kept on hearing that over and over, Jo. And then when I finally got out of the hospital, I kept on thinking that this is another chance given to me. And I thought that if I died that time, I could have regretted it because there were too many things that I wanted to say but I did not. I hold back, every time. So I thought that I'd try to be more open, not to everybody, but only to those closest to me. I don't want to waste this miracle I was given to do better, and to right my wrongs."

Jo looked at Mac and smiled. She then leaned closer and gave him a kiss.

"Mom, I'm here!" Ellie shouted from the door.

Jo quickly stood up, and Mac followed.

"Hi Detective." Ellie greeted Mac, smiling.

"Hello Ellie." Mac greeted her back, a little nervous.

"How were the practice and the party?" Jo asked her daughter, sitting back down but a little further from her original spot earlier.

"It was good. You're having pizza?" she asked when she saw the pizza box at the coffee table.

"Yeah. I was too tired to cook."

"Okay, I'll leave you alone, then. I have to do my homework." Ellie said as she started to walk into her room's direction.

"Uhh.. Ellie, actually, there's something I wanted to tell you." Jo broached, standing up again.

"You're now a couple?" Ellie said, looking at Jo first, then to Mac, grinning.

"What?" was all Jo could mutter.

"What you mean what? Mom, I've known for a while now. I'm just letting you be that's why I'm not asking." Ellie said looking at her mom.

Jo was baffled at what Ellie told her.

"How?"

Ellie laughed at Jo.

"Come on Momma, you think I wouldn't notice that since that night you came home from the lab, you started smiling again, smile as in really smile, widely. Your smile reaches your eyes again. And you laugh heartily again. And your eyes Mom, their twinkling again, full of life. There's only one person who could be the reason for that and that's _you _Detective Taylor." Ellie said, shifting her eyes to look at Mac who was smiling at her, his cheeks starting to color.

"Oh Ellie. How can I ever keep a secret to you if you're this keen?"

"You may keep other kinds of secrets from me but not about this one. Tyler knew about it also. I told him. And you Detective Taylor, with all due respect…" Ellie said looking at Mac square in the eye, her face serious.

"My momma had shed a lot of tears because of you, but I had also never seen her this happy…"

"Ellie! What do you think you're doing?" Jo was aghast at what was coming out of Ellie's mouth.

"Relax, mom." Ellie smiled at her, before turning her now steely, cold gaze at Mac.

"I just want to know Detective; you're going to take care of my momma, right? And never hurt her again?"

Mac winced when she said 'hurt her again', but he knew she was telling the truth, and most importantly, he knew that she was only looking after her mother.

"Yes, of course Ellie." Mac nodded at her, his eyes sincere.

Ellie nodded.

"Okay, then you have my approval." Ellie said her eyes now warm and gooey, like her mother's.

Ellie extended her hand to Mac, which he took in his.

Ellie smiled and went to kiss her mother.

"Okay, now that it's done, and everything's clear, I'm going to my room and do my homework, music blasting from my headphones. So rest assured that you have your privacy for whatever you want to _do_." Ellie said, winking at Jo as she continued to her room.

Jo gasped, understanding what she meant, "Ellie!"

Mac, also understanding what Ellie was implying, blushed a crimson red.

"Good night mom. Good night _Mac_."

Mac looked up to see Ellie smiling at him, and he smiled back.

When Ellie closed and locked her door, Mac and Jo slumped at the couch together.

"I'm sorry for that, Mac." Jo said quietly.

"You don't have to apologize. It was very sweet of her actually, caring for you like that." Mac said placing a kiss on her forehead, pulling her to him, leaning her into his chest, his arm around her.

"You know, I could get used to this; sitting out here with your arms around me? Makes me warm and fuzzy." Jo said snuggling closer to him.

"Get used to it, because I believe you wouldn't be getting rid of me, anytime soon." Mac said smiling down at her.

Jo smiled back to him, before reaching up to pull him into a kiss.

**-The End-**

* * *

**I want to thank everybody again, for giving me and this story a chance. Thank you to the readers, and all reviewers, including my guest reviewers, and followers. I hope that my story, even though far from perfect had been worth your while.**

**Thank you so much guys! 'til the next fanfic :D**


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